
Class. 



A A^ 



Book ,C ■:" i 



COFOUGHT DEPOSm 




o 



•^ erf 

> 
o 



iETi?rgb0ig*js ©at Inok 



Containing chapters on "Colour Breeding," "Show- 
ing," "Conditioning," "Judging," " Diseases and 
Their Treatment," "How to Raise and Treat the 
Show and Pet Cat," and many valuable prescriptions 



90nitifg IroiU (2Iifam)i!xin 



NEW YORK 
1909 






Copyright, 1909 

By 
D. B. Champion 



Press of The Lent & Graff Company 

137-139 E^t 25th St., New York 



^ci.A25:j.^ X, 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Angoras and Persians 17 

Abyssinians .■ 46 

Atlantic Cat Club , 117 

American Cat Association 118 

Blacks 22 

Blues 23 

Brown Tabbies 34 

Breeding Queens 65 

Bide-a-Wee Home Association 1 19 

Beresford Cat Club 118 

Bathing and Cleaning 82 

Cat Fanciers' Association 119 

Cattery, The 47 

Chinchillas 26 

Colds 108 

Colours Which Should Not Be Crossed S3 

Creams or Fawns 33 

Distemper in Cats 97 

Disinfecting • 115 

Ears, Treatment of the 103 

Eye Trouble ■ 92 

Feeding 79 

Fits ^ III 

Foster-Mothers 69 

Intelligence and Disposition of the Cat, The 13 

Invalid Diet 91 

Injuries • ,. . 114 

Intestinal 'Disorders 112 

Judging 83 

Kitten Raising 59 

Kittening, Cats at Time of • 67 

Longevity of Cats 16 

Maine Cat, The 18 

Masked Silvers 29 

Manx • 45 

Orange Tabbies 35 



PAGE 

Oranges Zl 

Neuter Cats 47 

North Star Cat Club n? 

Paralysis 109 

Photographing Cats •. . 89 

Pneumonia 94 

Persians and Angoras 17 

Preparing Cats for the Show Pen ^^ 

Rickets no 

Scale of Points 86 

Scientific Breeding 50 

Shaded Silvers 32 

Short-haired Cats Zl 

Short-haired Pet Kitten, How to Raise the 40 

Show Management 72 

Siamese, The 42 

Silver Tabbies 31 

Skin Diseases loi 

Smokes 30 

Softening of the Bones no 

Stud Cats 54 

Tortoise-shells 36 

Travelling ■ 57 

Teeth, Care of 107 

Whites 20 

Worms 105 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

ARGENT GLORIOSO Frontispiece 

Mrs. F. Champion's American bred shaded silver male. 
Sire, Argent Glorious; dam, Argent Fancy. 
Glorioso is a novice of great promise and should carry- 
off many honours when shown. He is another silver, 
bred by the Argent Kennels, Staten Island, N. Y. 

Opposite Page 
AZURE SHIRAZ i6 

Mrs. H. V. McConn's imported blue male. Sire, Bon- 
nie Marcello; dam, Colina. 

Shiraz is of the celebrated Ch. Orange Blossom of 
Thorpe strain, and has won First and Specials for 
best cat in the show, Orange, N. J., 1909; also First 
and Specials for best blue, Hartford, Conn., 1909; the 
only occasions on which he has been exhibited. Mrs. 
McConn is the owner of several other beautiful blues 
at her cattery in Oyster Bay, N. Y. 

ARGENT GLORIOUS 24 

Mrs. F. Champion's American bred, shaded silver 
male. Sire, Ch. Lord Sylvester; dam, Argent de 
Vere. 

Glorious is a grandson of the Chinchilla Argent Moon- 
beam II., and has won First Open, First Novice and 
Specials for best novice, best long-haired male. New 
York, 1907. He is an inmate of the Argent Kennels, 
West New Brighton, Staten Island. 

ARGENT SPLENDOUR (Champion) 32 

Mrs. F. Champion's pale Chinchilla. Sire, Argent 
-Moonbeam II.; dam. Argent Puffy. 
Splendour possesses the distinction of being the first 
Chinchilla male champion in America, and was bred 
in this country. He is winner of more than thirty 
prizes, including many cups, three gold and eight sil- 
ver medals; also best cat in the show at New York 
and Chicago, 1905. He is also owned by the Argent 
Kennels, Staten Island, N. Y. 

BUZZING SILVER (Champion) 34 

Mrs. J. C. Mitchelson's short-haired, imported silver 
tabby queen. Sire, Champion James II.; dam, Sally 
Ugly Mug. 

Buzzing Silver is a remarkable silver tabby short- 
hair, who has never been beaten in the show pen. 
She has won First and Special prizes too numerous 



opposite Page 
to mention, including several special prizes for best 
short-haired cat in the show at several of the largest 
shows. She is one of the beautiful short-haired cats 
owned by Mrs. J. C. Mitchelson, Tariffville, Conn. 

CYRUS THE GREAT 40 

Miss H. E. Heuberer's American bred black male. 
Sire, Champion Columbia Patrick; dam, Princess of 
India. 

Cyrus is winner of First Novice, New York, 1907; 
First, Washington, 1908; First Open, Boston, 1909. 
He is at the head of the Cyrus Persian Cattery, 
Aquella Ranch, Garden City, Kansas. 

COLUMBINE WHITE FRIAR 48 

Mrs. Lillian E. Davidson's American bred blue-eyed 
white male. Sire, Sir Friar; dam, Ch. Maid of 
Avenel. 

Columbine White Friar is of the Ch. White Friar 
strain. He has won First and specials at the Beres- 
ford show, 1908; First Open, First Novice, best white 
cat, Chicago, C. F. A., show, 1908. 

On the same page is the emblem of the cattery, 
a combination of the state flower, the Columbine and 
the picture of the late Silver Don. Mrs. Lillian E. 
Davidson has since imported a very fine silver male, 
Rob Roy, of Bromholme, to take the place of Silver 
Don, at 345 Lincoln Street, Denver, Colo. 

CAROLINE (Champion) 56 

Mr. C. H. Jones' blue-eyed white short-hair. 

FAIRY SILVER BELLS 64 

Miss H. E. Brown's shaded silver kitten. Sire, Al- 
Tarek II.; dam. Fancy Lady. 

Silver Bells is a most promising little silver kitten, 
bred by her owner. Miss H. E. Brown, 35 West 130th 
Street, New York. 

JOHNNIE FAWE II. (Champion) 72 

Mrs. A. E. Montgomery's imported black male. 
Johnnie has won many Firsts, Cups and Medals at 
New York, Chicago, Buffalo, Toronto and Hartford, 
winning for best cat in the show on two occasions. 
Mrs. Montgomery should, with her new acquisition, 
breed many winners in her cattery at 1133 Green 
Street, San Francisco, California. 

KEW IRIS 40 

Mrs. R. Ottolengui's blue queen. Iris, is winner of 
many First and Special prizes in England and Amer- 
ica. She is one of the best blues ever bred. 



opposite Page 
KEWLOCKE (Champion) i6 

Mrs. G. Brayton's smoke male. Sire, Champion Kew 
Laddie; dam, Ch. Lucy Claire. 

Kewlocke is winner of over sixty First and Special 
prizes, including best American bred cat on two oc- 
casions. He is one of the beautiful cats owned by 
Mrs. G. Brayton, 27 Leicester Street, Brighton, Mass. 

LORD SYLVESTER (Champion) 29 

Mrs. C. C. Park's masked silver male. Sire, Lord 
Argent; dam, Atoxina. 

Sylvester is perhaps the most perfectly masked silver 
and greatest international winner yet shown, having 
won many Firsts in England, and First prizes at New- 
York in 1902. 1903, 1904, 1905 and 1906. His owner is 
Mrs. C. C. Park, "Karlsruhe," Montecito, Santa Bar- 
bara Co., California. 

LORD LORIN 64 

Mrs. H. A. Stearns' American bred shaded silver male. 
Sire, Silver Flash; dam, Daphne. 

Lorin is the winner of First prizes in Chicago and Cali- 
fornia. He is the principal winner among the lovely 
silvers owned by Mrs. H. A. Stearns, 810 North Los 
Robles, Pasadena, California. 

LORD KEW TANGERINE (Champion) 80 

Mrs. D. B. Wiswell's American bred orange male. 
Sire, Ch. Kew Laddie; dam. Golden Flash. 
Kew Tangerine is a winner of numberless First prizes, 
including best kitten, Boston, 1907; best orange, Bos- 
ton, 1908; best long-haired male, Boston, 1908; best 
orange, Boston, 1909. He is one of the numerous 
beautiful orange cats owned by Mrs. D. B. Wiswell, 
398 Walnut Street, Newtonville, Mass. 

POLAR STAR 88 

Mrs. F. Champion's American bred blue-eyed white 
queen. Sire, White Tsar IL; dam, May Blossom. 
Star is a young queen of great promise, who has not 
yet been shown. She is among the whites bred at the 
Argent Kennels, Staten Island, N. Y., of the celebrated 
Ch. White Friar strain, 

PETIE K. (Champion) 80 

Mrs. F. Y. Mathi's cream male. Sire, Prince; dam, 
Muffle K. 

Petie has the distinction of being the only American 
bred cream champion on the show bench. He is winner 
of many Firsts, including Firsts, New York, 1906, 1907, 
1908. 



opposite Page 
ROB ROY II. OF ARRANDALE (Champion) 96 

Mrs. G. Lynas' imported pale Chinchilla male. Sire, 
Rob Roy of Arrandale; dam, 

Rob Roy II., at the time of his importation, was the 
only Chinchilla male champion in England; his wins in 
that country being First, Birmingham, 1907; First and 
Championship, Botanic Gardens, 1908; First and Spe- 
cials for best cat in show, Crystal Palace, 1908; First, 
Steyning, 1908; three Firsts and Championship, Har- 
rowgate, 1909. He has not yet been shown in this 
country. He was imported at a great expense by his 
owner, Mrs. G. Lynas, Logan Cattery, 810 Broadway, 
Logansport, Indiana, and is of the well-known strain of 
"Argent" silvers. 

SILVER GLEAM 104 

The property of Mrs. J. C. Mitchelson, Tarififville, 
Conn. Sire, Ch. Argent Splendour; dam, Malika. 
Gleam is one of the best young Chinchillas bred, and 
when she makes her debut will add many laurels to 
those already won by this fancier's well-known silvers. 

STRONGHEART 112 

Mrs. H. A. Stearns' American bred black male. Sire, 
Blackthorn; dam, Blackberry Fawe. He has won First, 
Chicago, 1905; First, Cleveland, 1906; First, Buffalo, 
1906; First, Toronto, 1906; First Detroit, 1907; First, 
Springfield, 1907; First, Chicago, 1908; and is foremost 
among the beautiful blacks owned by Mrs. H. A. 
Stearns, 810 North Los Robles, Pasadena, California. 

SIAM OF ROMEO (Champion) 96 

Mrs. H. E. Dykhouse's imported Siamese male. 
Siam has won First and Special prizes at Detroit, 1907; 
Chicago, 1907; Syracuse, 1908; Indianapolis, 1908; in- 
cluding several wins for best short-haired cat in the 
show. Many beautiful silvers and white long-hairs are 
also bred in the Romeo Cat Kennels, 507 Lake Ave., 
Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

WHITE AIGRETTE 72 

Miss L. G. Hopkins' American bred blue-eyed white 
queen. Sire, Oberon; dam, Magnolia. 
Among Aigrette's wins are First, Boston, 1908; First, 
Chicago, 1908; First and best cat in the show, Hartford, 
1909. She is one of the most perfect white queens yet 
shown, and with her sons and daughters resides at 
103 East Fifteenth Street, New York. 



INTRODUCTION. 

"Everybody's Cat Book" has been written with the idea 
of helping all who are interested in cats, those who may wish 
to breed fancy varieties for show or profit, as well as those 
who wish to care properly for their one pet cat. 

The author does not profess to have written a compre- 
hensive treatise on diseases or medicines, but simply prescribes 
reliable remedies for the more ordinary ills that feline flesh is 
heir to, and nothing is recommended, either food or medicine, 
which has not already been successfully used by the writer. 

It is hoped that "Everybody's Cat Book" may be the 
means of saving both cats and their owners many unpleasant, 
not to say dangerous, results from experimental prescriptions, 
prescribed by those who have had no practical experience with 
the diseases of cats. 

STATEN ISLAND, 

1909. New York. 



EVERYBODY'S GAT BOOK 



CHAPTER I. 

THE INTELLIGENCE AND DISPOSITION OF THE 

CAT. 

How often one hears the remark, "How stupid cats are !" 
or, "Cats cannot compare with dogs for cleverness." 

This is a point on which many people make a great mis- 
take, and it is only their ignorance of the feline race which 
calls for such remarks. 

I have studied the dispositions of dogs and cats very 
closely, as I keep both, and I have come to the conclusion 
that an uneducated cat has far more brains than an unedu- 
cated dog. Doubtless the dog is easier to teach, as he can be 
made to do things, whereas the cat is of an independent dis- 
position, and will not always come when it is called, unless 
it wishes to do so ; but that is not want of brain — it is simply 
independence ; it knows you want it to come, but does not 
always choose to answer when called. It is said of cats that 
they much prefer their homes to their people ; that is so in 
many cases, for how many cats are only regarded as a house- 
hold necessity to rid the house of rats and mice, and the said 
cat is taken so little notice of that it naturally becomes more 
deeply attached to the house than to the owner thereof. 

Then again, these cats show great intelligence, or shall we say 
"instinct," in finding their way back to former homes. I have 
had positive proof of cats returning to their old homes many 
miles away, although they have been taken away in covered 
baskets to their new homes ; in this they show the same 
cleverness as dogs. 

It will be noticed that the pet cat, or long-haired cattery 
cat which is always petted and made much of, thinks very 
little of its home, but a great deal of its master and mistress ; 
and the highly bred cat of to-day shows no love of its old 
home, and thinks only of the people who love and care for 
them. Therefore it has no desire to run away from any new 
home it is taken to, if accompanied by its owner. 

Cattery cats learn to love the society of their kind, and 
the queens make splendid mothers ; they never seem to feel 



14 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

the confinement of their quarters, and are as happy as possible. 
But take one of these cattery inmates to a new home, and it 
will quickly become attached to its new master and mistress. 

Cats are very lovable animals, but they must become at- 
tached either to their homes, their fellow-creatures, or to 
people; also, their attachment to dogs, in many cases, is very 
great. 

The ordinary cat or kitten has a great antipathy to a 
dog, as dogs are taught to chase them, and the fear of a dog 
in the mother cat is transmitted to their offspring. 

It is curious to notice how much of what may be called 
"natural instinct" remains in the highly bred cat which has 
never known a care for generations. 

Some of these will be terribly afraid of a dog at first sight ; 
others — and here I might say the majority — will know no fear, 
and rub around a dog just as they would around another cat. 
Only a few days since, one of my kittens came in contact with 
a large Irish setter. The kitten rubbed all around the dog 
and reached up several times to smell her nose ; the dog looked 
very indignant, but she has been taught not to touch cats. 
This was the kitten's first encounter with a dog. On the other 
hand, I have had kittens, of equally high breeding, show all 
the natural fears of an ordinary short-haired cat ; but this fear 
of dogs is the exception rather than the rule with the highly 
bred cattery cats and kittens. 

It is a pleasing and frequent sight to see, in my kennels, 
the puppies curled up asleep, all tucked up in the fur of a 
long-haired kitten, or even the full-grown cats occupying the 
same bed with several dogs. Of course, when the dogs get 
too boisterous, pussy disappears over the top of the pen. I 
also have a short-haired female cat, which I use as a foster- 
mother. She will nurse two puppies with her own kittens, 
and only lately accepted three weeks' old puppies when her 
own kittens were only one day old. 

It is very amusing to see these little puppies play and 
bark at their adopted mother. This cat is never so happy as 
Avhen she is nursing a mixed family of long-haired kittens and 
Pomeranian puppies. There are people who believe that long- 
haired cats are becoming overbred and stupid ; this may be 
so, if injudiciously inbred, when the brain no doubt deterio- 
rates ; but the well-bred, long-haired cat shows a great amount 
of intelligence. They can be taught tricks, jumping, etc., and 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 15 

in more than one instance the intelhgence of some of my pets 
would have been unbeHevable without proof. 

I remember well how one kitten I had used to live in a 
large room, which opens into another, where other cats were 
kept. The two rooms were separated by a wire door, which 
was hooked on the inside to the door-post. 

This kitten, with three or four others, lived in this room, 
but when they were about three months old I found the door 
constantly open, and the inmates enjoying the freedom of the 
other room. This happened several times before I discovered 
that this remarkably intelligent little lady had learnt to open 
the door by climbing the wire and lifting the hook with her 
nose. Therefore, another hook had to be placed on the out- 
side, to keep her in her own room. 

Some months elapsed, and the kitten was exhibited at a 
show, where she was purchased by a person who had an 
apartment, and the kitten had her entire freedom. She grew 
up here, and had her first family of kittens. Later the owner 
found a cat and kittens too much care, so the mother was re- 
turned to me ; and, knowing she had had her freedom, I gave 
her the run of the outdoor cattery, which she enjoyed for 
some months, until a family was expected, when she was re- 
moved to the room in which she was born. 

She was placed in this room and given a comfortable bed, 
and although I had forgotten this lady's propensities for open- 
ing doors, some two years before, she had not ; for, on my 
return to the room, imagine my surprise to see the door open 
and the cat at liberty with the others. At first I thought I 
had left the door unfastened, and it was not until it happened 
several times that I remembered that this was the very rat 
which had learnt to liberate herself when a tiny kitten; and 
she now always needs a hook on the outside of the door which 
she cannot reach in order to confine her to one room. Curi- 
ously enough, one kitten out of each litter from this cat can 
open a gate in the same manner as the mother did when she 
was young. 

After the many cases I have seen of cat intelligence, I 
can only say, if a cat is stupid it is want of education. 

Cats are very sensitive in disposition, and can easily be 
frightened by harsh treatment, when they become either 
savage or frightened, and will run at the approach of 
stranerers. 



l6 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

They are also very independent in disposition, but show 
in many cases just as much devotion to their masters as do 
dogs and other animals. 

They can bear much pain without uttering a sound, and 
when ill-treated by wicked boys and men do not even cry out 
as a dog does ; if they did, perhaps they would be less ill-used. 

No animal is more to be pitied than the forlorn little 
stray cat or kitten, and none should fail to see that these 
friendless creatures either get a good home or are painlessly 
destroyed, as they undoubtedly show as much love and feel- 
ing, if not more, than other animals. 

There is no doubt that the good qualities of cats are be-; 
coming more and more appreciated, so that in a few years 
we may hope the cat will no longer be the ill-used and much- 
abused little creature which it was formerly. 



CHAPTER II. 
LONGEVITY OF CATS. 

The ordinary length of a cat's life is from eight to ten 
years, although many well-cared- for specimens reach the age 
of fourteen or sixteen years. As a rule, it is kinder to have 
them destroyed before they reach such a great age, as they 
usually become partially deaf, blind, or otherwise out of con- 
dition. 

Old cats require a great deal more nourishment than 
young ones, and must be plentifully supplied with blood-mak- 
ing foods, such as raw beef ; otherwise they become angemic 
and a prey to fleas and lice. 

A cat is in its prime at three years of age, and com- 
mences to show signs of age at about seven, when the teeth 
should be watched, as, should any become loose, your pet is 
liable to starve to death from sheer nervousness. The least 
pain will cause a cat to refuse food, and everyone knows a 
loose tooth can cause much discomfort. 





Champion Kewlocke. 




Azure Shiraz. 



CHAPTER III. 
PERSIANS AND ANGORAS. 

The term ■'Angora,'" in relation to a long-haired cat, 
should be seldom if ever used in this country, as a typical 
Angora scarcely exists; therefore, it is supremely ridiculous 
to see a number of badly bred, long-haired specimens adver- 
tised and spoken of as Angoras. 

The general public in this country think if a cat is long- 
haired, it must be Angora, and poor specimens, such as 
"Maine" cats, are also termed Angoras. 

Whatever they were originally, they certainly are far 
removed now from thoroughbred Angoras. These Maine 
cats have deteriorated in quantity, quality and length of coat, 
whereas they excel in head ; this deterioration of coat and im- 
provement of head is probably due to crossing with short- 
haired cats, which undoubtedly often occurs. 

Our pedigree imported long-hairs of to-day are un- 
doubtedly a cross of the Angora and Persian ; the latter pos- 
sesses a rounder head than the former, also the coat is of quite 
a different quality. The coat of the Persian consists of a 
woolly under coat and a long, hairy outer coat. In summer it 
loses all the thick underwool, and only the long hair remains. 
The hair is also somewhat shorter on the shoulders and upper 
part of the hind legs. 

Now, the Angora has a very different coat, consisting of 
long, soft hair, hanging in locks, inclining to a slight curl or 
wave on the under parts of the body. The hair is also much 
longer on the shoulders and hind legs than the Persian, this 
being a great improvement; but the Angora fails to the Per- 
sian in head, the former having a more wedge-shaped head, 
Avhereas that of the modern Persian excels in roundness. 

Of course. Angoras and Persians have been constantly 
crossed, with a decided improvement to each breed; but the 
long-haired cat of to-day is decidedly more Persian-bred than 
Angora. 

Wherever breeders notice the long, locky coat in Per- 
sians (especially where great length of coat is seen on the 



l8 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

shoulders and legs), they should do all that is possible to en- 
courage this desirable point in their strain. I have made a 
great point of this myself for years in breeding Persians, 
and would be very sorry to lose this beautiful type of coat. 

The term "Long-haired Cats" has long been used in the 
cat clubs and stud books of England, and if they cannot keep 
the breeds separate there, surely we cannot, who breed from 
English stock. 

The Angora cat originally came from Angora, the princi- 
pal colour being white, and the fur is much valued by the 
natives, as it forms an important article of commerce and is 
much sought after by merchants of surrounding countries. 

The Persian cat, as its name denotes, originally came 
from Persia ; they were of all colours, but the silver varieties 
were very rare. 



CHAPTER IV. 
THE MAINE CAT. 

How many people there are who ask, "What is a Maine 
cat?" and "Why is it not as good as the imported 'long- 
hair'?" 

Possibly some twenty years ago they were as good as 
any other imported long-haired cat, as they came from all 
parts of the world on the trading vessels, and had the breed 
and the different colours been carefully kept separate and bred 
scientifically, they might to-day equal our imported long-hairs. 
Those that were not crossed with the ordinary short-haired 
cat were bred without any regard to keeping the different 
colours separate; pure blacks, blues, whites, tabbies and oranges 
were crossed indiscriminately, with the result that to-day the 
Maine cat is, in most cases, little or no good for breeding pur- 
poses, as even when crossed with a thoroughbred long-haired, 
the result is usually a litter of many colours patched with white. 

I am not saying that there are not good specimens of the 
long-haired variety to be found among the Maine cats, as I 
well remember seeing, when first coming to this country, a 
second prize-winner at a show, which I thought might easily 
have won. When inquiring of the judge why it did not, he 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 19 

remarked, "It is only a Maine cat, and the first prize-winner 
has just been imported from England." At a properly man- 
aged show these facts should not be known by the judge; 
then probably the Maine cat would have been given the pre- 
mier position, and it would have been left to the breeder's 
discretion whether they bred from the first prize-winner with- 
out a known pedigree or the second prize-winner with a pedi- 
gree traceable for many generations. My advice is always 
the latter. 

Breed from pedigree as far as possible. This is the only 
quick way to success. You had far better purchase the worst 
kitten from a litter of pedigree stock than buy the best of a 
litter from practically unknown ancestry, as the former, when 
mated to a good cat, will produce stock far better than itself, 
whereas the latter, no matter how well mated, will always dis- 
appoint you, as the kittens will seldom be even as good as the 
parents. One can give no advice as to how to mate these 
cats, as what is a good cross with a thoroughbred long-hair 
cannot be applied here. If you know your cat to be bred from 
many colours, do not breed from it ; but if you know absolutely 
nothing of the pedigree, why, then try your cat, and in a few 
cases you may be successful. The white cats native to this 
country are perhaps the only variety which, in some few cases, 
have been carefully bred, true to colour. Many of these white 
Maine cats have been bred for generations from white cats, 
and often blue-eyed ones ; therefore, they are sometimes use- 
ful as crosses for imported stock. 

In consequence of this, the white classes at our shows are 
large, and, in quality, would hold their own in any country. 
A few of these cats have retained the long, locky coat of 
the imported cat, but the majority have a somewhat harsher 
and shorter coat, which is not at all desirable. Those who 
still own Maine cat stock can in some cases improve them ; 
that is to say, if they possess certain colours — for instance, pure 
blue, black, or orange, or any solid colour — of fairly good 
breeding, may be crossed with imported specimens, and in the 
resulting litters there will be one or two good ones ; then in 
the course of a few years, with careful selection, good show 
specimens will be the result. Should you possess a breed 
very much mixed up in colour, or colours marked with white, 
any improvement is hopeless, as white will appear generations 
afterwards, and spoil many otherwise good specimens. 



20 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

There is no doubt that in a few years' time such a cat 
as is now termed a Maine cat will become unknown, as so 
many of those interested in these cats realize they must im- 
prove their strain, and therefore are crossing them with im- 
ported stock. Those who formerly sold their kittens for a 
few dollars to the city dealers have lost this trade, as dealers 
have found them very profitless. 

Brought up in the wild condition in which they are kept 
on the farms in Maine, these kittens quickly die when kept 
in confinement, either from fright or distemper, as they are, 
for the most part, poorly fed, and quickly contract colds and 
infectious diseases. 



CHAPTER V. 
WHITES. 

The long-haired white is a most lovely variety, if kept 
clean and in good condition ; then, with a round head and 
deep blue eyes, its beauty is hard to surpass. The eyes in 
this variety make or mar the cat ; they should be either deep 
blue or dark orange, any pale yellow or green tinge being 
incorrect and very objectionable. 

The whites imported from India are vastly superior to 
the ordinary Persian, their chief characteristics being a long, 
trailing coat, snub face, short thick legs, beautifully tufted 
ears and toes, and, of course, cobby in shape. The few 
specimens which I have seen are not strong in physique, and 
they give one the impression of being rather too much in- 
bred, which naturally reduces the size but improves the 
quality. 

These cats are very valuable for show or breeding pur- 
poses, especially to cross with large, strong cats which lack 
quality. 

The type of white cat usually seen has a shorter and more 
woolly coat, is longer in all its proportions, and the nose is 
not as snubby as it should be. This type of cat, however, 
makes a very good cross with the better bred specimens, 
as it produces size and strength, added to the quality of the 
smaller cat. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 21 

There are in this country a number of white, long-haired 
cats, and they seem in many cases to have been kept pure as 
to colour; these American-bred specimens make a very good 
cross with the highly pedigreed imported white. 

In breeding whites, it is a great mistake to mate blue- 
eyed cats to other blue-eyed ones for several generations, as 
the eye-colouring deteriorates, becoming very pale, sometimes 
almost white. In such cases, either cross with an orange- 
eyed or odd-eyed white, preferably bred from blue-eyed stock. 

The first mating of the two same cats always produces 
the best eye-colouring in the kittens ; therefore, when you see 
a marked deterioration in this point, you must send your 
queen to another male. 

This I observed in kittens from two odd-eyed cats I pos- 
sessed ; each was blue-eyed bred, the sire's parents were both 
blue-eyed, and the dam's sire was also blue-eyed ; but the 
maternal grand-parent was an orange-eyed blue. 

In the first litters from these cats there were usually two 
orange-eyed kittens, and two with very deep blue eyes ; the 
kittens were never blue in colour, although on one side they 
were bred from blues for generations. 

The number of blue-eyed kittens dififered almost always 
with every litter, and I always obtained more blue-eyed kit- 
tens in the second litter of the year. In one autumn litter I 
had as many as four blue-eyed and one odd-eyed from these 
two odd-eyed cats. 

I bred from these two cats for years, but the eye-colouring, 
although very good, latterly was not so deep as in the first 
two litters. 

Crossing orange-eyed and odd-eyed whites with blue-eyed 
ones has a wonderful effect in producing deep blue eyes. I 
once saw a cat from such a cross with eyes of deep royal blue ; 
the said cat was also a marvellous shape, but alas, it died 
after the first time shown. 

The orange-eyed variety is, if the eyes are really a deep 
colour, almost as pretty as blue-eyed ones, and is, as I have 
already stated, very valuable to breed from. 

Many whites are deaf, more especially the blue-eyed ones. 
This to the novice may seem very terrible, but they make 
lovely show cats, and good travellers. This blemish does not 
count against them on the show bench, and in many cases they 
make lovely pets, though some are excessivelv stupid. The 



22 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

greater number show exceptional intelligence; so much so, 
that no one would detect the deafness unless told of it. 

One of my greatest pets was a deaf white kitten, and 
whenever I entered the room he ran with a merry cry to meet 
me. I always talked to him like any other kitten, and he 
seemed to fully appreciate it. All his cleverness must have 
been in a keen sense of feeling and smell. I have found many 
others just as nice; one, which I disposed of lately for a pet, 
went to a home where there were large dogs, and I have 
since heard that he is not afraid of anything, and sleeps curled 
up with the dogs. 

So it will be seen that deaf cats are not so marred by 
this affliction as dogs and other animals would be. White cats 
should, if possible, only be mated with whites, but a blue, bred 
from blues, has proved a very valuable cross in many cases, 
and one I would always resort to in order to obtain strength 
and depth of eye-colouring. If there is any colour-breeding in 
your whites pedigree on either side, some of the white kittens 
will come with blue-black or light grey smudges on the tops 
of their heads ; this in nearly every case disappears when the 
kitten is full grown, sometimes not until they get their second 
coats at eighteen months or two years. Should this mark be 
very large — say about the size of a fifty-cent piece and very 
dense in colour — it is pretty sure to stay, and ruin the cat for 
exhibition purposes. 



CHAPTER VI. 
BLACKS. 

Blacks have become very popular in this country, and 
many really good specimens are seen in the show pen to-day. 

Blacks are very fascinating when they are true to type. 
A cat coal-black, with large, luminous orange or golden eyes, 
is very attractive, but their looks depend much on a round 
head and brilliant eye-colouring; without these they are of 
little use for showing. In colour they should be very dense 
black from root to tip of the hair, and from nose to tail. The 
colour, if perfect, is the most difficult point to obtain and also 
to keep. By the latter I mean that that colour is easily spoilt by 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 23 

exposure to sun or rain, also by ill-health. A black, to remain 
black, must be properly fed and conditioned, for, when poorly 
fed, the hair loses its brilliancy from want of natural oil, and 
any exposure to the weather makes it look dull and turn red- 
dish brown. All this can be remedied by good care and feed- 
ing, but unsoundness or shading light can only be bred out, 
and is usually caused by a blue, smoke or silver cross. This 
should be considered the worst fault by all judges. 

By unsoundness, I mean a smoky appearance at the roots 
of the hair ; around the frill and underneath the body is where 
it is most frequently found. In choosing a good specimen of 
this variety, the hair should be carefully parted in all parts, 
to see if there is any unsoundness of colour, and this, with the 
blues, is most apparent when the cat is in full coat, as when 
in half coat the cat may appear perfectly sound, whereas when 
another inch of hair grows it may be smoky in colour. 

White spots are, of course, a great blemish, and would 
place an otherwise good cat low down in the prize list ; but for 
breeding, such cats are sometimes useful, as these spots do 
not often appear in the progeny, though to breed from a cat 
without such blemish is far better. 

In all other respects the black should resemble any other 
typical Persian. The eyes should be golden or orange. Blacks 
may be mated to orange, brown tabbies, or even to a tortoise- 
shell; this does not seem to deteriorate the colour; and, of 
course, blacks to blacks. Blue is an ideal cross for a bad- 
coloured black. 



CHAPTER VII. 
BLUES. 

Although the blue long-hair is now a distinct variety, the 
colour was first obtained by crossing a self-black with a 
pure white. 

The first specimens were shown at the Crystal Palace, 
England, in the year 1871. Of course, no fancier at the present 
time would find it necessary to resort to a crossing of blacks 
and whites to obtain blues, there being plenty of good speci- 
mens of this variety obtainable ; although, even in this long- 



24 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

established colour, first-class specimens are not by any means 
plentiful. The blues first exhibited were a great deal darker 
in colour than those now bred, and were known at that time 
as "London smokes." These dark blues can still win under 
most judges, if their other points are good, but the lighter, 
more lavender tone is the most sought after, if sound in colour. 

It is certainly a far more attractive hue, although it is said 
by many old fanciers that the darker blues were sounder, both 
in colour and eyes, than many of those now shown. By sound- 
ness of colour we mean that the hair should be all of one, a 
slaty lavender from tip to root, showing no trace of a silvery 
under coat, which latter fault is a sign of a smoke cross, some- 
times resorted to in an effort to obtain the very pale colour. 

When the light blue first became the rage in England, 
many were shown and won high honors, although their eyes 
were of no definte colour. 

The Blue Society in England wished to encourage the 
breeding of the light blue with deep orange eyes, and we think, 
by careful selection, this end is being attained by breeders of 
blues. 

A really good pale blue with deep orange eyes is truly 
"a thing of beauty," and we would like to see many more of 
tliem at our cat shows here. 

They are not difficult to breed, if you start with a good 
orange-eyed strain, and certainly they are one of the hardiest 
and easiest raised of any of the long-haired varieties. The 
great thing to avoid is the tendency to large, upright ears, 
which is a failing in many of the best blues. 

The ears should, as in other varieties, be small, and set 
low on the head, well feathered with hair of the same shade 
as the coat. Ear tufts or whiskers, either white or silver in 
colour, are counted as a bad fault. 

Blues are about the largest specimens of long-haired cats, 
and carry very thick, heavy coats, more woolly in texture and 
more even in length than the other breeds, though lately some 
liave been bred with the long, flowing coat. 

If, in breeding blues, they are inclined to get too light 
in colour, it is sometimes advisable to cross your pale-coloured 
cat with a good black, preferably one bred from blues, or 
else with a good sound black. 

They are apt to vary as much in shade as the ordinary 
Maltese — some dark, some medium, and some light blue. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 25 

With blues, as with other colors, it is often possible to obtain 
fine specimens without having both parents blue or even of 
blue pedigree. 

The great difficulty in breeding this colour is to keep them 
strictly uniform throughout, as shading on the frill or any part 
of the body coat is not desirable ; a light-coloured under coat is 
a great fault. In breeding blues, as in all other colours, one 
must at first select the nearest to perfection in all points ; then, 
when a good type has been obtained, select for eye-colouring, 
soundness of colour, etc. 

Never start breeding by showing undue partiality for any 
special point; it is time enough to do this after you have 
bred specimens fair in all points. You will find this the 
quickest way to obtain almost perfection. 

It is very difficult, both in judging and purchasing a blue, 
to be sure of its colour, unless it is in full coat, as the under 
coat rarely becomes unsound until the cat has obtained its full 
length of hair ; therefore, a cat in half coat is almost sure to 
be sound, and it is hardly fair to give a cat in this condition 
a premier position in classes where there are full-coated 
specimens ; and in purchasing, remember this point also, or the 
sound-coloured specimen which a few months before you have 
purchased as "absolutely" sound in colour, may in a few months 
develop a light under coat, much to your disappointment and 
surprise. The eye-colouring changes with age, fading from 
even deepest orange to a pale yellow or even greenish yellow ; 
this is especially the case with the males. Then, again, the pale 
eye-colour of a young cat will often deepen when it gets old, 
the correct colour, of course, being deep orange. Owing to 
the great thickness of their coats, blues are often very trouble- 
some to keep in show form, and owners of this variety should 
keep them carefully combed, if not daily, at least frequently, 
or they will suddenly find their best show specimen with its 
under coat in hopeless mats, and no remedy but to cut the 
coat right ofT. Otherwise, the matting of the fur will cause 
most intense irritation to the animal's skin, and the cat or 
kitten, as the case may be, will scratch and bite itself so 
violently that the hair will come out by the roots wherever 
the mats have formed. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
CHINCHILLAS. 

Probably many novices have no idea of the correct colour 
of a chinchilla cat ; the name "chinchilla," as applied to the 
colour of a silver cat, is most misleading. 

The little chinchilla animal is, as we all know, very dark 
grey at the roots of the fur, with very pale, almost white, tips 
to the hair. Now, has anyone seen a cat of this description? 
We venture to think not. Chinchillas, when first bred (now 
some twenty years ago) were just the opposite to their name- 
sakes in colour, the coats at the roots were almost white, the 
tips a dark grey; therefore the name chinchilla is only a fancy 
name, and by no means descriptive. A chinchilla cat should 
be as pale silver as possible, with little or no tabby marking 
or dark shading; in fact, the ambition of everyone is to breed 
a silver as nearly self-coloured as possible, at the same time 
keeping the lavender shade, which gives brilliancy of colouring 
and prevents the cat looking "dirty white." Now, by "laven- 
der" we do not mean a dark lavender ; in fact, unless the cat 
were placed beside one of the "dirty white" chinchillas, you 
would not notice the lavender tint; but it adds brilliancy to 
the silver colouring. 

The greatest point in the color of a chinchilla is freeness 
from any brown or cream tinge. Of course, a chinchilla can 
get its old coat rusty by lying in the sun, but if the cat is 
healthy, this should shed off before the show season, so does 
not matter; but should a cat you have bred, or may wish to 
purchase, have any cream on the frill, nose, ears, or shoulders, 
you may count this as permanent, as we have never found a 
cat go rusty in these parts through lying in the sun ; unless, as 
I said before, it is out of health ; then the coat loses its natural 
oil. Perhaps it would be a little difficult for a novice to dis- 
criminate between sunburn and a real creamy tinge, but to 
experienced breeders there is no difficulty. For instance, if a 
kitten is born with a yellow tinge, it generally grows up with 
it, so if at the age of six weeks you see your kitten has this 
fault, my advice is to dispose of it for a pet, and keep another 
one of the litter which although it may be darker, yet does 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 



27 



not possess this defect. Of course, there have been instances 
of a pale chinchilla having a creamy tinge as a kitten, and when 
it is, say, two or three vears old, this has entirely disappeared; 
but, in my opinion, this only happens when the cat is very 
pale and the cream tint is also pale ; then, as the cat grows 
lighter in colour (as many chinchillas do with age), the cream 
becomes so light as to be imperceptible. 

As a great many silvers of to-day possess this fault, per- 
haps it would be as well to give advice on how it is to be bred 
out. If your male cat has this failing, do not breed from him 
at all, if you can prevent it; if not, cross him with a blue, 
bred from silvers, a pale smoke (silver bred), or, if you wish 
to do so, a pure-coloured shaded silver or chinchilla queen ; but 
if you possess the latter, you are only going backward, by cross- 
ing her with a male who is not pure in colour. I should 
strongly advise beginners in chinchilla-breeding to commence 
with a light smoke or shaded silver with good points, and 
send it to the best male of the day (chinchilla, of course), 
rather than to purchase a pale silver female with bad points 
and a creamy tinge. With the darker queens you may pro- 
duce one or two nearly perfect kittens, which you can again 
cross with a good chinchilla male, whereas with a pale queen 
you may obtain three or four pale kittens which will have 
poor points or a creamy tinge, and this will take you a long 
time to breed out. 

I have heard of, and, in fact, have had myself, many ap- 
plications for a "perfect" chinchilla. Now, I may say, even 
after twenty years of breeding, good chinchillas are very 
scarce both in England and America, and we seldom hear of 
one of the best changing hands. If you inbreed silvers, there 
are a great many things to be considered. First, the parent 
cats must have good points as well as colour, for you must re- 
member inbreeding fixes whatever points the two cats may 
possess more strongly ; so to inbreed two cats that have really 
bad faults is to fix these faults. Strength is another, if not 
the most important, point. 

Inbreeding tends to weaken a strain, so you must only 
use the strongest cats; if, after breeding several times from 
the same pair, you find any weakness in the kittens, you must 
at once stop, and take in a cross from a strong, unrelated 
strain. This, of course, will be, in the chinchillas, a difficulty 
(as nearly all silvers are bred from the same strains), but you 



28 El-ERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

had better take in a shaded silver as an outcross, to get size 
and strength, and perhaps lose a shade in colour, than to go on 
inbreeding and obtaining pale kittens which may be deformed 
or will be too delicate to live. On the other hand, if one 
out of the litter lives, it will probably grow up so undersized 
that it will take a low position in the show pen; and when 
you ask other fanciers to admire its beautiful colour, they may 
do so, but will add, "How very small. Is it full-grown?" 
If you wish to inbreed, it is best not to do so with very young 
stock. Wait until both your cats are two or three years old, 
as they are always much stronger at that age. About rela- 
tionship for inbreeding, there is much diversity of opinion. 
Firstly, the stronger vour stock is, the more closely you can 
inbreed; but I do not think, from personal experience, that 
too close inbreeding is any advantage. 

Cousins are a good cross, and some people try half- 
brother and sister. This I knew in one case to be very suc- 
cessful, and the same mating was tried for several years 
with the same two cats; but as a rule, at the first sign of de- 
formity you should discontinue and take in a fresh strain. 

In breeding chinchillas, never forget that green is the 
correct colour for the eyes, the most desired being that deep 
blue-green tint so seldom seen in a cat's eyes; these, set in a 
silver ground colour, are most beautiful. The points of a chin- 
chilla are the same as other Persians. 

In purchasing a chinchilla for exhibition purposes, there 
are several very important points to consider. 

First and foremost, paleness and purity of colour, free- 
dom from markings or heavy shadings, good shape and green 
eyes. One seldom sees a cat of this description, and it is 
usually "not for sale" at any figure. Therefore, your best 
way is to breed one, and, as with other animals, this cannot 
be done all at once ; it takes some time to obtain all these good 
points. 

Therein lies the "sport" of breeding animals. If we 
were able to breed perfection at the start, there would be 
nothing else left for us to do ; yet beginners almost invariably 
expect whole litters of future prize-winners, from, in many 
cases, quite ordinary parents. 



CHAPTER IX. 
MASKED SILVERS. 

Masked silvers are a "new" variety, and at present very 
few are bred, as, in the case of many of the darker varieties 
of silvers, fanciers are all striving after pale chinchillas, and 
neglecting the darker colours. 

There are now several fanciers who have made up their 
minds to breed this variety in real earnest; therefore, we may 
hope to see some beautiful specimens in a few years' time. 

The illustration on opposite page gives a good example of 
what a masked silver should be. 

Hitherto very few good specimens have been bred, most 
of those exhibited being on the order of "spoilt" smokes. The 
ideal masked silver is a very beautiful animal ; in colouring, or, 
I should say, marking, they should resemble the Siamese cat; 
that is to say, they should have a black mask or face, black 
feet and legs. The body should be as pale silver as possible, 
with neither a dark spine line nor tabby markings; the silver 
should be free from any cream or yellow, the eyes deep golden 
or orange. There is no doubt, if more attention were given 
to this variety, the correct colour could be fixed. 

In breeding masked silvers, it must be remembered that 
no tabby markings should be introduced. 

Shaded silvers, chinchillas, smokes and blues, crossed, are 
liable to produce a good masked silver, and if you have a 
queen who produces a masked silver in every litter, keep 
her for breeding this variety. 

Blacks bred from silvers or smokes also make a good 
cross, but do not use blacks which have been bred from 
oranges, or tortoise-shells, or any colours which are liable to 
spoil the purity of the silver ground colour. 



CHAPTER X 
SMOKES. 

Smokes are one of the most beautiful varieties of the long- 
haired cat. 

Their colour is most effective, and there is no other animal 
exactly like it, the nearest, perhaps, being the marmosette 
monkey. 

The head, face and paws should be as nearly black in 
appearance as possible. This blackness should extend down 
the centre of the back and tail ; in fact, all over the body. The 
frill should be light silver-grey, and the hair on the sides and 
stomach also light; the under coat, very light in colour, being 
nearly white even in the darkest parts — viz., face, legs, etc.; 
but the light under coat does not show where the hair is short, 
unless parted. 

The more contrast there is between the light and dark 
fur, the better. Each hair, with the exception of the frill, 
should be tipped with black, shading at the roots to a light 
silver. 

The great point is density of colour; the head, face and 
paws should appear black, with no trace of tabby markings. 
This short, dark hair should also part nearly white at the roots. 

The body should be as even in colouring as possible — 
black, shading to silver — and have no sign of tabby markings 
or brownness in colouring. In breeding smokes, it is well to 
keep clear of the chinchilla cross, as this lightens the colour 
too much and' introduces green eyes, which are a great fault, 
as those of the smoke should be golden or orange. 

Blues and blacks, crossed with shaded silvers, breed good 
smokes. Do not introduce too much silver, as it is liable to 
lighten the colour. Silver tabby is also a bad cross, introduc- 
ing tabby markings. 

If, on the other hand, your smokes should be too dark in 
colour or fail in lightness of under coat, then a light silver 
cross is advisable, choosing a silver with orange, or yellow, 
eyes, if possible. 

It is a most diflfiicult matter to select the best smoke kit- 
ten when very young, as the worst-coloured kitten often turns 
out the most perfect when full grown, or even when it gets 
fts second coat. It is wise to choose those with the best 




Champion Caroline. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 3I 

points, and most free from tabby markings, and those which 
promise to have the correct eye-colouring. 

A roimd head is very important in this variety, as the 
black mask shows up the shape of the face ; and, should it be 
long, it is doubly accentuated, giving a plain and faulty ex- 
pression. 

CHAPTER XI. 
SILVER TABBIES. 

Silver tabbies are at present very rare — that is to say, 
good specimens ; and it is quite time more fanciers turned their 
attention to this variety. Silver tabbies are very much ad- 
mired, but to breed good ones they must be kept well apart 
from the other silver varieties, as, when crossed with chin- 
chillas, shaded silvers, or smokes, the clear markings, which 
are their chief characteristic, are spoilt; but if you have no 
suitable mate for a silver tabby, it is wiser to cross with a 
silver than a brown or blue, as the latter crosses make the 
resulting kittens useless for breeding purposes. 

A silver tabby must have clear wide black tabby markings 
on a pale silver ground colour, the markings being as distinct 
as possible from the ground colour ; any blurring or ticking of 
the markings is a great drawback; the colour should be free 
from any cream or brown tint. 

The eyes may be hazel or green. 

The kittens when born are rather difficult to select, as in 
all long-haired varieties they lighten with age, therefore the 
kitten one would select as being nearly perfect, will wlien full 
grown be liable to become much too light in colour. There- 
fore I would advise selecting the darkest and strongest marked 
ones; if not properly marked on the back, these markings are 
liable to appear with the second coat. The heads should also 
be darkly striped ; they must not have too light faces, or 
later on the markings will fade out almost entirely. 

If your cat be well marked, but too light, a black makes 
a desirable cross ; if bred from silvers or smokes, one too 
heavily marked might do well mated to a chinchilla or pale 
silver tabby, but it is best to mate a silver tabby to one of its 
own kind if possible. 

Never introduce blue, brown or orange. 



CHAPTER XII. 
SHADED SILVERS. 

Shaded silvers are one of the prettiest of the silver varie- 
ties and are indespensable as a cross in improving the type of 
ehinchillas. 

They are usually much admired for their type, size, 
wealth of coat, and colouring. 

Shaded silvers, as the name denotes, should be well 
shaded not too dark in colour, but even and bright, a dingy 
blue-grey colour or any "smutty"' appearance must be avoided. 

The head, tail, and legs should be as little marked as 
possible, more smudged in appearance ; the eyes should be 
green. A shaded silver kitten, when born, has the very fine 
tabby stripes, usually in great numbers ; these disappear as 
the coat gets longer; the only difference between a shaded 
silver and a chinchilla kitten, when born, is, that the whole 
tone of colour is darker in the shaded silver, the chinchilla 
having a nearly white face and legs, whereas the shaded silver 
must not be too light on the face and legs. 

The great difficulty with amateurs is to draw a dividing 
line between shaded silvers and chinchillas. There is really 
a great difference between a good chinchilla and a good shaded 
silver, but it is hard to distinguish between a dark chinchilla 
and a light shaded silver. 

In breeding this variety, smokes, blues, and blacks may be 
crossed with silvers. Sometimes a good smoke may be ob- 
tained, and therein lies one of the great attractions of breed- 
ing silvers. 

From one litter one may obtain a smoke, a shaded silver, 
and possibly a chinchilla, but in breeding for the later colour 
the strain soon becomes too light to obtain smokes, and only 
shaded silvers and chinchillas will be the rseult. A blue cross 
is valuable, should there be any cream on your silvers. It is 
best to mate a blue female to a silver male as you want the 
silver colour to predominate ; a blue female with green or 
greenish yellow eyes is preferable, as the orange eye is hard 
to eradicate in silvers. 




< 



U 



CHAPTER XIII. 
CREAM OR FAWN. 

These two varieties are usually classified together, as tiie 
only difference is a shade or two in depth of colour; in all other 
respects they should be the same. 

Fawns are the most commonly seen, being exactly fawn 
colour, they should be as self-coloured as possible, free from 
any tabby markings or shadings. 

The eyes should be golden or deep orange, they are fre- 
quently the latter colour; in fact I have seen them a deep 
copper or brown colour, which is very effective with their coat 
colouring. 

The true cream is very uncommon ; in fact in all the 
shows I have attended, I only remember seeing two or three 
specimens of this variety, and these were more or less marked. 

In colour they resemble freshly made butter, I should 
imagine they would become more prolific if fanciers were to 
go in for this variety more and keep selecting the palest from 
every litter, but this is another semi-neglected variety in this 
country, and needs more encouragement. 

Both creams and fawns are inclined to be long in face, 
although a few of the best have been bred with snub faces. 

Creams and fawns are bred from oranges, tortoise-shells, 
and blues ; the blue and tortoise-shell cross with some orange in 
the pedigree is popular, and a female of a blue-tortoise-shell 
mixture, makes a splendid breeder of creams and fawns when 
mated to a male of these colours. If your creams deteriorate 
in shape and quality, take in a good out-cross of a perfectly 
shaped cat, either blue or orange in colour ; do not lose type in 
your endeavor to obtain the colour, as this never repays you ; 
try and improve all points steadily; a perfect cat cannot be 
bred in one or two seasons. 

A large handsome even-coloured fawn or cream is always 
much admired by the public. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
BROWN TABBIES. 

Brown tabbies were thought little of in the early days of 
cat showing, probably because there were many of this variety 
among the short-haired cats. 

Latterly they have been bred with the most superb colour 
and markings, thereby presenting a vastly different appearance 
from the ordinary grey-brown tabby one used to see. 

A good, rich-coloured brown tabby is very beautiful, but 
like other varieties a good one is still rare. 

The ground colour of the brown tabby should be of a 
rich tawny tint; this should be as even as possible, extending 
to the extremities, especially the lips and chin, which are so 
often white or shaded to dirty white ; this latter fault has 
been hard to eradicate, but it has been done by a few breeders. 

The next important point is the markings ; these should be 
of a dense black ; the broad stripes are the most admired. 

The legs and tail should be well barred as well as the chest 
and neck, giving the appearance of necklaces. 

There should be a distinct tawny down the centre of 
the back, and with a black line on either side of the back, and 
with a black line on either side of it. 

The body markings should be well defined and the leg 
markings should come high up the legs to meet these, the 
head and face should also be well marked, the lines from the 
corners of the eye to the cheek being called "cheek swirls," the 
marks up the face should continue between the ears and down 
to the shoulders, where the "butterfly" mark will be found, 
which divides the head lines from the spine lines. 

Perhaps no more perfect definition of these markings 
could be found than those of the short-haired silver tabby 
on opposite page ; they should be the same in the long-haired 
varieties, but unfortunately the long hair prevents such dis- 
tinctness, and only when the hair is smoothed down with the 
hand can the markings be properly traced. 

Brown tabbies should be heavy and thick in build and 
have large broad heads ; they should have orange or golden 




m 



H 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 35 

eyes ; the coat of the brown tabby is often incUned to be short 
and thick, but to be perfect they should show as much quahty 
as the silvers or blues. 

The principal points to be bred for are soundness of chin 
(by that I mean a deep fawn or cream, not nearly white), eye- 
colouring, richness of ground colour and distinctness of mark- 
ings. In obtaining these much desired points be careful not to 
sacrifice shape and strength. 

Brown tabbies mated to brown tabbies always do well, but 
should the rseulting kittens lack the desired richness of colour, 
mate the best one to a deep-coloured orange tabby, being sure, 
that the orange tabby has a deep chin, if the tabby is not pro- 
curable try a solid orange. 

If you happen to get one too red in colour and not well 
enough marked try crossing with a black, one bred from brown 
tabbies, tortoise-shells or oranges preferred. 

It is wonderful how well marked some cats are from 
black and brown tabby crosses. 

Brown tabbies should be mated to blacks, oranges from 
orange tabbies, tortoise-shells, or even blues, but the latter 
cross is the least desirable, as it destroys the colour of the 
blues, and leaves traces of tabby markings ; although many of 
the old-time blues had brown tabby in their pedigrees. 

Avoid any greyness in ground colour or light tickings on 
the dark markings. The ground colour and markings should 
be as distinct from one another as it is possible to have them. 



CHAPTER XV. 
ORANGE TABBIES. 

There are more good specimens to be found in this 
variety than in the browns, but they are failing in popularity 
before the solid orange; it seems a pity that there are not 
enough fanciers to keep all varieties up to a high standard, in 
improving one colour they are too prone to spoil another. 

The show orange tabby is very beautiful ; the ground 
colour should be of a clear light orange or "sandy" colour, 
marked with deep rich reddish brown markings, with as much 
distinction between the two colours as possible. 



36 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

The eyes should be deep orange, really the same colour 
as the dark markings. 

The chin and extremities should not shade light or white 
and the former should be deep-coloured right to the lips. 

Orange tabbies can be crossed with blacks, tortoise-shells, 
and brown tabbies; blues and oranges may be used, but they 
are not always advisable. 

In shape they should come up to the standard of all 
Persians, although they are in many cases inclined to be long 
in face and high on the leg. 



CHAPTER XVI. 
TORTOISESHELLS. 

Tortoise-shells are peculiar in colouring, resembling a 
piece of tortoise-shell ; their colour consists of black, orange 
and cream patches, these should be irregular in shape, but 
distinct in colouring, the more distinct and deeper in colour 
the better, the head, ears, tail, and legs should also be patched, 
with no trace of tabby markings visible. 

The eyes should be orange or golden. 

Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of this colour 
is there being few kittens of the male sex ; I have never seen 
one of the long-haired variety and only one or two among 
the short-hairs; this makes them a somewhat difficult colour 
to breed. 

The cross of black and orange makes tortoise-shell, and 
tortoise-shell females should be mated to orange or black 
males, black if the queen shows too much orange, and orange 
if the queen be too dark. 

Keep as much tortoise-shell in the pedigree as possible, 
by mating your tortoise-shell females to males bred from a 
tortoise-shell dam ; in this way you are able to get more good- 
coloured ones. 

Do not introduce any tabby varieties unless you are 
obliged. 

A cream cat also makes a good cross if bred from 
oranges. 



CHAPTER XVII. 
ORANGE. 

Orange cats without tabby markings and of a deep rich 
red are a very beautiful variety. 

These cats are useful to breed with other colours, and 
are, therefore, becoming very popular. 

They should be of a deep rich red or orange, with as 
little shading, and as few markings as possible, the colour 
should be deep right up to the lips ; white or shading light on 
the chin and lips is a great fault. 

Orange cats can be crossed with oranges, tortoise-shells, 
blacks and blues. Never cross with the tabby variety, or else 
you will spoil the solidity of the orange. 

The eyes should be deep orange or golden. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
SHORT-HAIRED CATS. 

As short-haired cats have been in a measure, domestic 
animals since the time of the Egyptians, when they were 
idolized, it would be difficult to decide their origin, although 
many scientific people consider them as descendants of the 
wild cat, which species is much more common in America 
than in Great Britian, where only a few specimens remain 
in the hilly and isolated parts of the North of England and 
Scotland. 

Whether our present domestic cats are descended from 
the wild ones or not, it is certain that the Egj^ptians were un- 
questionably first in their domestication, and it is with the 
domestic cat we are chiefly concerned in this article. 

As show animals the short-hairs in this country cannot 
at present compare in numbers to those exhibited abroad. 
The chief reason for this is not far to seek. 

In England several prominent fanciers have made a 
special study of the breeding of short-hairs for show purposes. 



38 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

the result being that very fine specimens of the breed have 
been sold for as much as two hundred dollars, if not more, 
solely as exhibition animals as there is really not much de- 
mand for short-haired kittens, unless they be fit for exhibition. 
There is very little doubt that the short-haired classes at our 
shows here will be far better filled now enthusiastic fanciers 
devote their attention to the cultivation of this variety for ex- 
hibition as well as pets. 

The desired type for a short-haired cat is a large well- 
made animal, with round skull, large full eyes and short nose. 

The idea should not be to breed a specimen as much like 
its original progenitors as possible, but, rather to try to im- 
prove the type, for no breed of cat, dog, horse, or other 
animal can make real progress unless a higher type is always 
kept in view. 

The cobby, short-nosed type is most sought after now, 
even in the Manx varieties. 

Short-haired cats are divided into colour classes, much the 
same as the long-haired varieties, with the following excep- 
tions : There are at present no real chinchillas, though these 
are being bred for ; there are very few creams ; I have only 
seen one solid orange and that was in this country. 

The "spotted tabby" is distinctly of the short-haired 
variety, and although one or two specimens may be seen in 
long-hairs, they are not a recognized class. 

The usual classification for short-hairs is as follows ; 
black, white, blue, brown tabby, silver tabby, red tabby, spot- 
ted tabby, blue tabby, tortoise-shell and white, tortoise-shell, 
and chinchilla or silver is now added at some shows. 

To begin with, the three self-colours, black, white, and 
blue, the black should be pure shining coal black, without 
white hairs or shadings at the roots of the fur. The eyes to 
be deep orange colour as in the long-hairs. The latter point is 
hard to obtain in short-hairs, unless they are bred on purpose 
for showing, as the majority of those one sees have either 
green or greenish-yellow eyes. 

The whites must also be pure in colour, and should have 
blue eyes. 

The blue short-hair has caused a great deal of discussion 
in England, where it was first exhibited under the title of 
"Blue Russian." It was eventually decided to classify all 
blues as "Blue Short-hairs," and to discard the name of "Rus- 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 39 

sian," as these latter became too scarce to have a class to them- 
selves, and there were so many bred in England that it was 
decided as more appropriate to classify all under the one 
heading; these conditions existed for several years, then the 
breeders of "Russians" founded a club and classes were again 
provided for blue Russians apart from the blue short-hairs. 

Blues are usually kept for show purposes only in Eng- 
land, and are not nearly so plentiful as house pets as they 
are in this country, where they are called "Maltese." 

They are usually a larger, finer type of cat than any other 
variety, and have in many cases unusually massive heads. 

Needless to say the colour of the coat is a very important 
item. It should be of a light slate-grey colour with no white 
hairs, tabby markings, or shadings at the roots of the hair. 
Considering the number of really good specimens of this 
variety that there are in this country, anyone taking up the 
breed as a speciality, should have no difficulty in establishing 
a fine strain. 

The cream short-hairs should of course, come under the 
self-colour heading, but unfortunatily they are so few and 
far between that it has been impossible, up to the present, to 
establish them, especially without markings. If only people 
with a love for short-hairs would go thoroughly in for an 
unique variety like the cream, they would be surprised at the 
result of their trouble, and would do much to popularize short- 
haired cats. 

Cream short-hairs should be a pale fawny colour with 
eyes as near brown as possible, and of course the general 
points, such as shape, head formation, etc., should be the same 
for all other varieties, with the exception, of course, of the 
Siamese and Abyssinian. Although coming under the short- 
haired heading, is distinctly a foreign variety. 

Brown, silver, and blue tabbies should have their ground 
colour, brown, silver, or blue, according to class, with black 
markings to preponderate. 

The red tabby is an exceedingly beautiful variety, if 
carefully bred, and should be as deep a red colour as possible, 
with markings of an intensely deep chocolate. These cats 
have been bred to such a point of excellence that their 
brilliancy of colouring looks almost artificial. 

In judging short-haired tabbies the markings count first, 
and these should not only be distinct, but the two sides of the 



40 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

cat's body should match in number, shape, and distinctness of 
marks. The face should be well marked up the forehead, 
continuing over the top of the head down the neck, and there 
should be distinct markings each side of the face, under the 
eyes, technically called the "cheek swirls," the chest also 
should be marked in circular stripes like necklaces, these be- 
ing usually termed the "Lord Mayor's chains." 

The eyes of tabbies are of great importance. In the reds, 
browns and blues they should be deep orange, and this rule 
formerly applied to the silver tabby, but I believe certain 
judges now equally approve of deep green in this variety. 

There were, some years ago, a good many grey tabbies, 
but these have almost completely disappeared from the show 
bench, the silver tabby being so much more showy from the 
fact of the contrast between its pale silver ground and rich, 
velvety black markings. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HOW TO RAISE THE SHORT-HAIRED 
PET KITTEN. 

Few people take any care in raising pet kittens, others 
adhere to the old-fashioned method of a saucer of bread and 
milk and a few table scraps. 

It will always be noticed what fine specimens butchers' 
cats are, also cats around a fish market; the former are raised 
on raw meat scraps and the latter on raw fish. Raw fish I do 
not recommend as a regular diet, as it does not always suit 
cats and is too rough a diet for young kittens, also the bones 
are apt to choke them, lodging in their throats and causing 
death. 

Doubtless many a kitten has been raised on a bread and 
milk diet, but it has also caused the death of many more ; 
kittens raised on a milk diet are inferior specimens, and even 
if big and fat they have no strength and will usually suc- 
cumb to the first serious illness. 

I often think if a little care were given to raising the pet 
kitten, what fine specimens the short-haired cats would be- 
come, and in process of years cats would be far larger in size 




Kew Iris. 




Cyrus the Great. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 41 

than they are now, many of them becoming winners at our 
shows. If you have a tiny motherless kitten which you take 
enough interest in to raise by hand, which I know many 
people have done, feed at first sweet condensed milk, mixed 
with half water and lime-water ; at four weeks a little 
scraped raw beef can be given, then as it grows and thrives 
give a little meat finely chopped, meat gravy and a little 
vegetable all mixed up together forming a substantial meal. 
Do not let a kitten overeat itself, as this will do as much harm 
as underfeeding, and on no account give milk and cereals, as 
this is a diet for worms which all young animals have more 
or less, and to feed milk, etc., rapidly increases these pests, 
and the kitten becomes thinner and thinner. 

While young always add a teaspoonful of lime-water to 
the kitten's meals, and if at the age of two or three months the 
kitten seems thin and out of condition you may be sure it has 
worms ; then a dose of powdered areca nut will prove bene- 
ficial ; for a three months' kitten give three to four grains, for 
a cat eight to ten grains. Allowing one grain to every pound 
weight of the kitten, one grain of santonine can also be added 
to the full dose of areca nut ; the santonine is very poisonous, 
so not more than a grain should be added to each dose ; mix 
the dose in a little very sweet milk and give in the morning 
before any food has been given. 

Never dose a cat which is not eating well at the time. 

Raw bones or cooked should form a great point in a 
cat's diet, as they do so much good to tlie teeth ; fish occa- 
sionally is also good, canned salmon can be given occasionally, 
but there is very little nourishment in it, and if used as a 
constant diet your cats will contract all sorts of skin trouble 
and illness caused by a low state of the health. Too much 
milk and cereal diet in hot weather causes an irritable skin, 
which is often put down to puss having fleas ; but a cat con- 
stantly fed raw meat never gets in this condition. 

I have had to recommend a meat diet to several of my 
friends for their short-haired cats, and they have used it with 
the greatest success to cure this skin irritation, but of course 
it takes some weeks, or even months, to cure, as the state 
of the blood has to be altered. 

Fleas cause the death of many neglected kittens in sum- 
mer, and it is nothing short of wickedness on the part of their 
owners, to allow any cat or kitten to go about until worried 



42 EVERYBODVS CAT BOOK 

to death with these pests ; for they may be quickly eradicated 
or kept under ; to do this the following treatment is both 
quick and effective and if done only twice in the summer, or 
once in summer and again in the autumn, puss would have 
one less care in the world. 

Purchase a one pound tin of pure Pyretherum powder, 
the cost of which is about fifty cents and will last a year for 
several cats and kittens. 

Take the kitten or cat. place it on a sheet, or duster, on 
a table, or on your lap, then rub the pow^der all over the skin, 
commencing at the head, using it as near the eyes and mouth 
as possible w'ithout getting it in their eyes, also rub well in 
under the legs and all over the tail and of course all over the 
body. Then wrap the sheet lightly around the cat, leaving 
only the head out ; hold this for ten minutes or more, then 
brush out all the superfluous powder and half-dead fleas. Rub 
the cat \\\i\\ a clean cloth the way of the hair to remove the 
worst of the powder, leaving as much as possible in the under 
coat. 

I have used this on valuable long-haired kittens and 
know it to be harmless and much superior in its eft'ects to 
washing for either dogs or cats. 

The great point is that the fleas become so "dummy" 
that they do not get about, and the duster can either be burnt 
or shaken out well away from the house. 

Great care should be taken to get the right powder ; do 
not accept any which is given to you, as some contain 
arsenic and are deadly poison, but the pure Pyretherum is 
quite harmless; it must be fresh to be entirely effective, like 
most drugs it is apt to lose its strength when kept too long. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE SIAMESE. 

The Siamese cat is perhaps noted more for its very quaint 
and unique appearance than for its great beauty. These cats 
are very peculiar in colouring, to say nothing of their disposi- 
tion. In the latter they are quite different from other cats, 
and for this reason they are liked by all those who have ever 



I 




o 



^ 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 43 

had them. They are faithful to their owners and show great 
attachment to each other — so much so that they have been 
known to die of grief when separated. 

The males are quite different from other male cats, as 
in many cases one is able to have them around the house, and 
the male may be allowed to live with the female and her 
youngsters, without any harm resulting to the little ones. 

The cry of the Siamese cat is very mournful, being more 
of a wail than the ordinary cry of cats, and is very loud. 

They do not, as a rule, make good show cats, as they are 
miserable when away from home. 

The Siamese cat is often called the Royal Cat 61 Siam, as 
in its native country it is protected and under royal super- 
vision. They are therefore difficult and expensive to obtain. 
In fact, at one time it was almost impossible to export a male 
from Siam, as they were made neuter before they left the 
Palace ; but in process of years a few male kittens have evi- 
dently been smuggled out, as some very fine imported speci- 
mens have been exhibited in England and lately in this coun- 
try. 

In general appearance these cats differ from any other, 
more particularly in colour. This is of a cream or biscuit hue, 
while the extremities — namely, nose, ears, tail and paws — are 
of a deep seal brown, and the eyes are of deep blue. When 
the cat is two or three years old, or sometimes younger, it is 
almost certain to darken in body-colour, and become almost 
useless for showing, although when born they are pure white. 
As to the tail there is much diversity of opinion. Some say 
the tail should be kinked; others say they should not taper 
so much at the end like the ordinary short-haired cat. Per- 
sonally I think the kinks in the tail have undoubtedly origin- 
ated through inbreeding, which must have existed among the 
originators of the strain kept in the Royal Palace. If this is 
the case the kinked tail is only a deformity, the same as it is 
with other animals that are inbred, be they dogs or cats. This 
inbreeding is also the cause of the delicacy of the Siamese 
cat, and a cast in the eyes which may often be noticed. 

The above is the description of the Royal Cat of Siam, 
but there is another variety, called the Chocolate Siamese. 

Whether these are really a distinct variety, or are darker 
specimens of the royal cat, it is difficult to say. In shape, 
the Siamese is very graceful and of medium size. In type, 



44 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

and in almost every particular, it is the reverse of the domestic 
short-haired cat, especially in the head, which is longer and 
more angular than our present-day long-hairs and short-hairs. 
Though why fanciers should have bred these latter varieties to 
what they call perfection — namely, short and cobby, with a 
beautiful round face — and yet never attempted to improve 
the long face of the Siamese, I cannot understand, as the im- 
{xvrted Persians and Angoras of long ago possessed a long, 
angular face similar to that of the Siamese; although to-day 
judges object to a long-faced Persian or short-haired cat, 
yet the Siamese is still being bred with the long, angular face. 

If we alter, or, as we call it, improve some types, why 
>hould we not do the same with the Siamese? Surely what is 
an improvement in our eyes in one variety should be the same 
in the other. Why should we admire long, angular faces be- 
cause the Siamese do? 

Nothing is more beautiful than a Siamese cat with a 
round face. I have seen several of these, and yet their 
breeders will tell you it is incorrect. They did not say so in 
regard to the first long or short-haired cat they bred with 
round faces, but expected them to be admired, and they un- 
doubtedly were, and always will be. 

I feel sure, if breeders of this charming variety were to 
continue breeding from only their strongest specimens, and 
never inbreed for years to come, they would produce a variety 
of cat which would quickly become popular. 

The following is the scale of points used by the Siamese 
Club of England : 

Body colour to be as light and even as possible, cream be- 
ing the most desirable, but fawn also admissible, without 
streaks, bars, blotches or other body markings. 

Points (namely, mask, ears, legs, feet and tail) to be 
clearly defined, and of the shade known as seal brown. 

Mask complete ; namely, connected by tracings with the 
ears, neither separated by a pale ring as in kittens, nor 
blurred and indistinct, the desideratum being to preserve the 
■'marten face," an impression greatly aided by a good mask. 

Eyes bright, and decided blue. 

Coat glossy and close-lying. 

Shape, body rather long, legs proportionately slight. 

Head rather long and pointed. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 



45 



The points of Chocolate Siamese to be the same as above, 
except the colour of the body, which is seal brown. 

Body colour 20 

Shape 10 

Coat 10 

Head 10 

Eyes 20 

Mask 15 

Density of Points 15 

Total 100 



CHAPTER XXI. 
MANX. 

Perhaps most people are aware that the true Manx cat 
comes from the Isle of Man, but how it originated there seems 
more or less of a myth, and no true "tail" of its origin can be 
had ; this "pun" is more or less appropriate, as they should 
be tailless. 

Not all are pure-bred specimens because they come from 
the Isle of Man, as the breed has not always been kept pure, 
and specimens with tails are now being deprived of their 
caudal appendages to meet the demands of those wishing to 
purchase a "true" Manx cat. 

There is no doubt a judge of Manx can visit the Isle of 
Man and select a good specimen, but even in the resulting 
litter from apparently true-bred cats, the traces of a tail or 
"stump" is apt to appear. 

Probably the best specimens are now to be obtained from 
English fanciers, who are known to have kept the breed pure 
for several generations; in that country many beautiful speci- 
mens are shown, and a club for the advancement of the breed 
has long since been formed. In shape the Manx should be 
short in the back and cobby in shape ; they jsually possess a 
much rounder face than the ordinary short-haired cat, but 
where they differ from all other cats in shape is in the hind- 
quarters. When standing upright, which they seldom do, the 
hind legs are considerably longer than the front; this makes 
the hindquarters more prominent, and gives the "rumpy" ap- 



46 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

pearance which is so characteristic of the breed and by which 
a true Manx may be discerned. Usually, when standing at 
ease, the Manx cat bends the hind legs and stands more on 
the first joint than actually on the feet, similarly to a rabbit, 
and in jumping springs from the first joint. 

This action and formation of the hind legs is only found 
in the Manx cat, and although many short-haired cats may 
have their tails cut off, they will never possess this character- 
istic of a pure-bred Manx. 

Manx cats are very popular as pets ; they are splendid 
ratters, great "sports," very intelligent and affectionate. They 
may be of any colour, the tabby varieties being very handsome; 
the self-colours are more uncommon. At present Manx classes 
at the shows in this country are for the most part just or- 
dinary short-haired cats with their tails removed, although a 
few good specimens have been shown. To be perfect they 
should have no tail or even "suspicion" of a tail — just a hollow 
at the end of the spine — but even in good specimens a small 
tuft of hair, or even a joint of tail, is sometimes seen. 

The hindquarters should be round, not angular ; the 
roundness and height give the true "rumpy" appearance, and 
in their native land they are often termed "rumpy" cats on 
this account. The colour of the eyes should correspond to 
the correct standards for short-haired specimens. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

ABYSSINIANS. 

The Abyssinian is a short-haired foreign variety, and 
very few specimens have been imported into this country. 
They are in type very much like the ordinary short-haired cats, 
but their heads are somewhat longer, and ears rather larger. 

In colour they much resemble the wild rabbit, hence their 
nick-name of "Bvmny Cats." They should be of an even, 
light reddish-brown colour, each hair tipped with black, like a 
Belgian hare rabbit. 

There are also silver Abyssinians, but they are as a rule, 
too dark "slate" in colour to be pretty. 

These cats should have no tabby markings, but a dark 
spine line and feet are allowable. 

Eyes are usually of a bright hazel colour. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
NEUTER CATS. 

Neuter cats are by far the most successful to have as 
pets; they grow far finer than males or females; they are 
also quieter and far more prone to stay at home. 

They should be doctored at the age of six to ten months ; 
it is better not before six or after ten months, although they 
can be operated upon younger . and much older, even up to 
three years of age. 

Females can also be altered, but it is a more dangerous 
operation and not always successful. 

Neuter cats can be exhibited, as there are separate classes 
provided for them at most of the shows, but they cannot com- 
pete for championships. Neuters, being of rather a lazy dispo- 
sition, are apt to become too fat, so in feeding them after they 
are full grown, all cereals and fattening diets should be 
avoided, and after the age of three years, when they have be- 
come fully developed, very little food will be required to keep 
them sleek and fat; to over- fatten a cat is to make it unhealthy 
and shorten its life. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
THE CATTERY. 

Catteries are usually started in a small way, and gradu- 
ally increase each year, until in a few years you may find 
yourself with two or three males and five or six females ; then, 
as the years go on, also several old favorites too healthy to 
destroy, and no use for breeding purposes. These old pen- 
sioners should be allowed to end their days in the free run 
of the cattery or premises, being painlessly destroyed when 
they begin to look miserable and unhappy, probably at ten or 
twelve years of age. 

In addition to these there will be fifteen to twenty kittens 
to dispose of; with the exception of two or three of the very 



48 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

best of these, which must be kept to improve the strain and to 
take the place, say, of their great-grandparents. Never be 
tempted to keep too many, or you will find it difficult to have 
them properly fed and cared for, the result of which will be 
sickness and the loss of many of the youngsters. 

Proper housing is the first consideration. A barn or a 
good stable is the least expensive to start with ; these can be 
fitted up and divided inside, runs being made outside for 
exercising. Never make use of a large, rambling building, 
allowing the cats to run about in hay lofts and places which 
cannot be kept scrupulously clean ; if so, you will have no 
success. 

Horse-stalls can be converted into very suitable pens for 
one male cat, or two queens which agree may be kept in each. 
They must be securely wired in, and the floor covered with 
linoleum or rubberoid, then painted with floor-paint. Oil- 
cloth should be tacked about two feet up the sides, and allowed 
to lap over the edges of the floor coverings, and the wall kal- 
somined or painted. Shelves placed at the windows and ser- 
eral on the walls will make a comfortable little place. Then 
have a hole cut through the walls to the outside run. Similar 
divisions can be made in any part of the barn, always having 
a window to each compartment.] Remember, the floors must 
be properly covered so that they can be washed ; if rough board 
flooring is used, it is impossible to prevent flea-eggs hatching- 
out in the cracks; the roughness also spoils the cat's long, 
soft fur. 

Cats turned loose in a building like so many chickens, 
with no attention paid to having properly fitted up places, 
become infested with fleas, and are always out of condition. 

Should the barn be badly built, the walls which come 
directly in the cats' pens should be interlined with boards, and 
sawdust filled, to be warm in winter and cool in summer, as a 
well-built cattery without artificial heat is far better for your 
cats in winter, and a barn with hayloft over, to keep off the 
sun in summer and keep off the direct cold in winter, is far 
better than a cheaply built cattery with a flat roof. 

In summer all outside runs should be shaded by trees or 
artificial means,' either by canvas or window-blinds, as no 
cats will keep in condition exposed to the heat of summer sun ; 
neither should cats be allowed out in their runs all and every 
day. Cats show no discretion as to weather conditions, and 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 49 

will often sit out in the rain and cold winds when they should 
be warm and dry inside. Of course, we know there are some 
cats which will stand all weathers, but these are as a rule not 
highly bred, and are usually the survivors of the fittest. 

If you are unable to have your cattery under shade trees, 
then have trees planted near, and use artificial coverings and 
fast-growing annual creepers, such as Japanese cucumbers 
or bell-vine, until the trees are large enough to take their 
place. 

Cats are far better kept inside during the hottest hours 
of the day in summer, and only allowed out in the mornings 
and evenings. Never leave a cat out in the runs at night, as 
they are sure to make good their escape sooner or later, or 
strange cats may get in, as wire-netting is not always guaran- 
teed hole-proof after a few years of wear. 

A window left covered with good strong wire-netting will 
be sufficient on very warm nights. 

In building a cattery, always have it protected on the north 
by another building, if possible; a long, lean-to building, about 
ten feet wide and as long as you may wish to have it, allowing 
at least six feet for each compartment, with a window in every 
division, will be found the least expensive method, and should 
you wish to keep several queens together, the divisions can be 
made much larger. Inside, the partitions can be made of light 
spruce timber and wire-netting, leaving a passageway at the 
back. These pens should never open into one another, for 
in the case of two male cats there would be an accident should 
the two come together. 

In housing male cats the divisions must either be of double 
wire, allowing a four-inch space between, or else boarded half- 
way up, and the wire of one inch mesh, used beyond the board- 
ing, as male cats invariably become sworn enemies sooner or 
later. 

Two male cats should never be housed together, even if 
they have been raised so from kittens, as some day they are 
sure to have a deadly quarrel, and the result will be that one or 
the other will be killed or seriously injured, unless someone is 
there to separate them in time. Kittens are far better raised 
in the house, if possible; large, airy rooms at the top of the 
house are best, having all windows open should the weather 
be suitable, and have a slight amount of heat in winter to 
take off the chill and prevent damp. A room on the ground 



50 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

floor makes an ideal spot, especially if it opens on to a piazza, 
as this can be screened in with mosquito-netting and will then 
afford a lovely run for the kittens. 

I do not recommend outdoor catteries and runs for kit- 
tens, unless they are large and very well built. 

The runs should be roofed over and have a board flooring 
covered with linoleum, as any dampness or sudden change is 
sure to give the kittens cold; in fact, to raise kittens success- 
fully they must be provided with large enough quarters to 
enable them to be shut up in bad weather and yet have plenty 
of exercise and air; they cannot be expected to keep healthy 
exposed to damp and sudden climatic changes; therefore, it 
must be left to the judgment of fanciers to provide the best 
possible quarters for raising the kittens. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



SCIENTIFIC BREEDING. 

If fanciers take the time, trouble, and go to the expense 
of raising cats, why not breed them on scientific principles? 
That is to say, do not breed a long-haired cat to a long-haired 
cat, just because it is long-haired, but try to find out how 
your cat is bred, and then mate it according to colour, points, 
etc. Do not try to save yourself a little extra expense and 
trouble by breeding to a cat in your immediate vicinity, but 
choose a mate that you think likely to suit your queen in colour, 
pedigree and points. Send her on an extra journey, if neces- 
sary, and give yourself more trouble and expense, rather than 
mate her to a cat of inappropriate colour and pedigree. In the 
end the results will repay you, both from a financial and show 
standpoint. For example, we will say you have two beau- 
tiful kittens, both the same colour and good points ; one may 
be carefully bred for generations, the other one probably bred 
from cats of mixed colours, and therefore almost valueless 
for breeding purposes. 

Now, if you wished to dispose of these two kittens, you 
could only ask half, or less than half, the price for the badly 
bred specimen that you could for the other, as anyone having 
a knowledge of breeding animals would not purchase a kitten 




Emblem of Columbine Cattery. 




Columbine White Friar. 



f"- 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 5 1 

or cat without a good pedigree, and would want to know also 
the colours of the ancestors. 

The great difficulty with most novices is to know what 
colours it is allowable to cross, so we will begin with whites 
and go right through the different colours. Always mate white 
to white, if possible; a tortoise-shell cross may be used, there 
being a recognized class for tortoise-shells and whites ; but the 
introduction of one white cross will be sufficient for a great 
many generations. If too much white is introduced, the re- 
sult would be white cats with probably black and orange 
patches. 

If you wish to breed pure white cats, always mate to pure 
white, as any colour introduced is very hard to eradicate, ex- 
cept, perhaps, blue ; this cross in many cases has proved suc- 
cessful when, of course, the blue is pure blue-bred for genera- 
tions. 

Blacks are better mated to blacks, unless there is any par- 
ticular fault to breed out. For instance, a rusty black does 
well when mated to a dark blue, but of course this may pro- 
duce an unsound under coat, so it is not always successful. 

A black may be mated to a silver, producing very good 
smokes or shaded silvers. 

Orange cats are sometimes used with blacks, to produce 
tortoise-shell ; but the orange should be as free from tabby 
markings as possible, as a tortoise-shell with tabby markings 
is spoiled for exhibition. 

Blues should be crossed with the same colour as much as 
possible, but if the colour should become unsound or too light, 
an introduction of a black cross will be advantageous. Never 
cross blues with browns, oranges or tortoise-shells, if you wish 
to continue breeding blues ; if not, you may mate your blue 
with a smoke or a silver ; but the resulting kittens cannot be 
sold for breeding pure blues. 

Silvers, comprising chinchillas, silver tabbies, smokes, 
masked silvers and shaded silvers, may be crossed together, 
but never introduce browns, creams or oranges, as silvers are 
difficult to obtain without a creamy tinge, and any introduction 
of the aforementioned colours or tortoise-shell would prove 
fatal to purity of colour for many generations. If you wish to 
darken your silvers, try a smoke cross, and if you wish to 
intensify the colour of a smoke, cross with a black; if your 



52 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

silvers have a creamy tinge, try a blue cross. A blue-bred 
silver is one of the most valuable cats you can have in your 
cattery, as the blue cross entirely eradicates the creamy white- 
ness so often seen in the pale silvers. 

Brown tabbies may be crossed with good, deep-coloured 
orange or orange tabbies, as the introduction of the orange 
prevents the grey tint that so many browns have. Black is 
sometimes tried as a cross for brown tabbies, but the results 
are more often poor, as the colour becomes too dark and is apt 
to lose the golden tint so much desired. 

Orange and creams may be crossed together, also tor- 
toise-shells. Blues are sometimes crossed with these colours 
to produce creams, but the resulting litters contain too many 
blue tortoise-shells and other spoiled colours to encourage 
breeders to try this, unless compelled to do so. 

Tortoise-shells can be crossed with solid oranges, blacks 
and creams ; a blue is sometimes used, but not always with 
good results. White should never be introduced among the 
solid colours, as parti-coloured cats will be sure to be the re- 
sult, and although in this country a few classes (but no cham- 
pionships) are provided for these, to fill up the shows, we 
venture to think that tabby and white, blue and white, black 
and white, etc., will never be popular or bred for, as it ruins 
the colour of dozens of kittens before one is obtained with good 
straight markings, and without straight markings they are 
expressionless and ugly. 

In breeding for colour, do not forsake points. This is just 
as important, if not more so, than colour, for what good is a 
cat for exhibition or breeding, with the wrong show points? 
No matter how good the colour, you had better select a good- 
pointed animal than one of the same litter with perfect colouring 
but nothing else to recommend it, as you must remember that 
the good, all-round specimen has colour in its breeding; there- 
fore, by breeding from the perfect-pointed specimen, you are 
able to reach perfection quicker than if you choose an animal 
of perfect colouring only. Breeders will find pedigree counts 
more than anything else in breeding show specimens true to 
colour. 

Sometimes a cat whose pedigree is said to be unknown 
turns out a splendid breeder ; so, should you become possessed 
of a magnificent cat with an unknown record, it is well to try 
this cat, as the pedigree may have been mislaid, or the cat 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 53 

stolen when a kitten, in which case it might possess as good 
a pedigree as you could wish. 

This happened in the best white male I ever owned. His 
pedigree was unknown ; he became a champion, and his breed- 
ing record was unsurpassed. Doubtless his ancestors had 
been carefully bred for generations, but the person who first 
bought him, as a kitten, made no attempt to procure the pedi- 
gree. In such instances it is wise to try any good cat for 
breeding, even though it will take much longer to convince 
other fanciers of his good merits as a breeder, as very few 
fanciers will purchase long-haired cats without a known record, 
as most of them are aware of the necessity for a good pedigree 
in breeding animals. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 
COLOURS WHICH SHOULD NOT BE CROSSED. 

Novices cannot understand the amount of harm that is 
done by injudicious crossing of colours in breeding cats. They 
deteriorate the value of the resulting kittens for generations, 
and it takes sometimes many generations of correct breeding 
to kill out a wrong cross in colour. 

What is meant by incorrect crossing of colours is mating 
tabbies to whole-coloured cats and whites to coloured cats ; per- 
haps the latter is the most difficult to eradicate. 

It certainly is the greatest offense to the cat fancy to mate 
a tortoise-shell, brown tabby or an orange to a silver. 

Breeders of silvers know how difficult it has been to ob- 
tain this beautiful variety without a cream tinge, although they 
have been kept pure for generations ; imagine, then, how many 
years it would take to eradicate a brown tabby, orange or 
tortoise-shell cross. 

Many seem to think if they mate a queen of any colour to 
a good silver male or a blue, that they will get kittens just like 
the sire, thus starting another colour without purchasing fresh 
stock. There they make a great mistake. Perliaps they may 
get one fairly good-coloured kitten, but the majority will be 
mixed, tortoise-shell silvers, brown tabbies spoiled by a grey 
tinge throughout, silvers all tinged over with cream; and 



54 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

should there be one good-coloured one in the litter, is it prac- 
tically valueless as a breeding cat. This is also the case in 
trying to breed blues in such a way ; the result is rustiness of 
colour, tabby markings, etc. All females from such crosses 
should be destroyed at once; the males, of course, would 
make pretty pets of small value. 

Whites are easily spoiled by crossing with colours, colour 
in a white pedigree being the most difficult to kill out. Years 
ago, when blues were first bred, they were obtained by crossing 
blacks with whites. This did much to spoil the purity of the 
whites, but did not do much harm to the blues, as they seldom 
if ever threw white kittens. Sometimes a solid black would 
appear, and occasionally a blue in the litter would have a few 
white hairs under the chin or underneath the body between the 
hind legs an irregular patch of white hair would be found ; 
but these blemishes were soon bred out. Whites were not so 
easily restored to purity. Blues were also crossed with brown 
tabbies, and the resulting blues were often crossed with whites, 
with the result that, many generations after, the whites would 
throw a black or brown tabby kitten ; and now the only way 
fanciers can help the fancy is to destroy every coloured female 
bred from whites, and dispose of the males solely as pets. 

I would advise all novices starting in the fancy to be sure 
they are buying cats which have been judiciously bred for 
generations, or what perhaps is still better, those which have 
proved good breeders of pure-coloured kittens. 

Cats without a known record have in a few cases proved 
of great breeding value, but they take longer to make a name 
in the fancy, as they must be bred from, and show what they 
can produce before they will be accepted by breeders as 
valuable stock. 

The correct crossing of the different colours will be 
found under colour headings. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

STUD CATS. 

A stud cat should be a very perfect animal in most points, 
or he should not be kept for stud purposes. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 55 

Do not breed from undersized cats with bad points ; the 
male cat should be far finer than the ordinary female, for in 
breeding animals it is considered, as a rule, that the progeny- 
most strongly resembles the sire, if, of course, he is kept in 
fine condition. 

The stud cat should not be allowed his entire freedom, or 
he will never be in fine form. Have him housed in a roomy 
cat-house or a part of the cattery with an outdoor run attached. 

The house should be about twelve by fourteen feet, or 
smaller if necessary, provided with comfortable sleeping boxes, 
shelves, etc. Large windows are essential ; two will be found 
enough, with opposite aspects ; the one on the cold side should 
be fastened up and felted over for the winter, allowing the 
southern one to provide light and sunshine. 

The house should have a division or large cage inside, 
to place the visiting queen in at first, or whenever necessary, 
as this prevents a bad-tempered queen from injuring the male 
cat. 

It is a great loss to have a show specimen with a blind 
eye or slit ear from the result of a first acquaintance with the 
visiting "lady." 

Stud cats must be kept in perfect health and condition, 
feeding them always on raw meat, and allowing as much as 
they like to eat. They should also have access to grass or 
oats, both summer and winter. 

In winter, a pot of oats raised in the kitchen or hothouse 
until they are four or five inches high will be much appre- 
ciated. When not provided with this they will readily eat 
sweet hay, which should be placed in the sleeping boxes at 
least once a week. The floor of the house should be covered 
with linoleum (cork carpet) or rubberoid, which is a roofing 
material, and should be painted with floor paint. Never use 
oilcloth ; it is too cold ; the floor covering should be turned up 
against the wall for about three inches all around. Then take 
thin oilcloth, about eighteen inches wide, and tack round 
the wall, allowing it to overlap the floor covering. All shelves 
should be done in a similar manner. As few stud cats are 
clean in their houses, they can seldom be kept for any length 
of time in the house, and if allowed to run in and out at 
their pleasure, they are of no use for breeding prize stock. 

Each male cat must be housed separately, and if a pleasant 
companion can be found to live always with him, so much the 



56 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

better ; but they are high-spirited animals, and usually annoy 
any cat put to live with them. Never allow two males to live 
together after the age of ten months. No heat should be 
provided in winter; if a cat is not strong enough to withstand 
the cold, it is not fit to breed from. 

A covered-over southern runway is nice for the winter 
months, or one glassed in is better. The ground of the run 
is better cemented over and slightly sloped to allow the rain 
to run ofif and dry quickly ; also, it can be washed down better 
in hot weather. 

A sanitary pan should be provided, both in the run and 
in the house. Fine sawdust is best for filling; these pans 
should be enamelled baking dishes, about sixteen by twelve 
inches and three inches deep ; they should be changed and 
washed daily. 

If your stud cat cannot be housed in part of a barn or 
warm building, then the building you have put up for him 
must be thoroughly draught-proof and well built, to keep out 
the excessive cold. Double walls, with a four-inch space be- 
tween, are best, filHng up this space with dry sawdust. The 
outer wall must always be kept water-tight, either being well 
shingled or felted over, for should the sawdust between the 
boards become wet, it would prove very unhealthy for the in- 
mates. 

All windows should have a wire screen over, to prevent 
visiting queens jumping up and breaking them; the windows 
in summer are much better covered over with mosquito net- 
ting, which keeps away the flies, etc., which cats often eat, 
doing themselves much harm. Few flies enter the house 
through the hole which must be left open for the cat to reach 
the runway, or where flies are very prevalent a loose piece of 
cotton netting can be hung over the hole, and the cat will soon 
learn to push it in and out. 

Always have your cat shut up at night, and the doors 
and windows securely locked. A window may be left open 
on the very warmest nights, but seldom in spring or autumn, 
as sudden rainstorms and changes in temperature must be 
guarded against. 

In conclusion, I may add, if you wish to raise strong, 
healthy kittens, take as few visiting queens as possible ; in 
fact, it is far better to keep your male cat only for your own 
queens. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 
TRAVELLING. 

Great care should always be taken when sendino- or tak- 
ing cats on a journey. Often the very strongest cats catch 
cold when improperly shipped, even though at other times 
they run in and out in all weathers, for you must remember, a 
cat running about just as it pleases, goes into the house or 
sits in the sun when cold ; but, shipped in a badly made box or 
unlined basket, and then placed for hours on an express van, 
no matter what the weather, under such conditions the 
strongest cats will be apt to catch a severe chill, and in many 
cases death through distemper is the result. 

When taken by hand, nothing is more convenient than 
a basket or hamper, those made especially for live stock being 
well shaped, strong and durable ; but all baskets must be lined 
except in the very warmest weather. 

For winter use, line with outing flannel; but first place 
thin cardboard or table oilcloth around the sides, to stop the 
cold winds ; sew the lining in with fine string and a packing- 
needle, leaving a good inch standing above the edge, to prevent 
any draught between the lid and the body of the basket. If 
there is a door in front, leave this uncovered, as it causes the 
cat to be less frightened ; but always be careful to carrv the 
hamper so that the wind does not blow directly into the open- 
ing. If the lid is a large one, this should also be lined, or 
partly so, leaving only a space under the handle for ventilation ; 
the lining should be changed whenever it becomes the least 
soiled. 

There are also leather hand-bags, made for toy dogs, 
which are very useful, especially on railways and places where 
cats are not always allowed, for unless the cat should make a 
noise, no one would suspect there being an animal in a hand- 
bag. 

Perhaps the shipping box or crate is most used in this 
country. Some shipping crates are made with a space between 
every plank. These are very draughty, and should never be 
used without a warm lining. When cats are being shipped to 
their new owners, perhaps nothing is so adaptable or so inex- 



58 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

pensive as the ordinary thin, hght box used for shipping eggs. 
These will be given to you by your grocer or egg merchant, 
and by purchasing a Uttle wire mosquito netting and a bundle 
of laths, a handy man can make an ideal shipping box. These 
boxes should be strengthened at the top edges with laths, also 
at the bottom if necessary ; then half the top should be boarded 
across with light wood from another box, and the remaining 
half should have mosquito net tacked over, and slatted down 
with three lengths of lath, to prevent the netting from getting 
torn off or the cat from pushing out. 

In very cold weather rather less than half the top should 
be left for ventilation. The division which is always in these 
boxes should be removed, with the exception of a piece at 
the bottom about two inches high, which may be left to 
strengthen the bottom of the box. 

Nail a little tin of water to the box in one corner, and 
a cardboard box tacked against the end to hold any food which 
may be put in. 

On the bottom of the box place a sheet of thick paper, 
large enough to turn up all around the edges, then throw a 
little dry sawdust on this, and a good bed of dry hay, paper 
shavings or wood wool, enough to cover the floor well. 

This will make an ideal travelling box for a very long 
journey, or will accommodate two ordinary-sized cats on a 
short journey. Never give sanitary pans when travelling, 
as these become very foul, and make the air poisonous for the 
inmate. Nothing is so good as dry sawdust and the sweet 
smell of a hay bed. Of course, on very long journeys — say 
for a week or more — large cages must be provided with pans, 
etc., and these are kept clean on the journey. 

For size and lightness these boxes cannot be excelled, 
and the advantage of their being made of such light, strong 
wood will be fovmd in the reduction of express charges, per- 
haps to one-half, and this, with the long distances in this coun- 
try, is quite an item to the purchaser or owner. 

On the sides of the box should be printed in large letters, 
"Live Stock. Rush !" This can be done with spirit paint or 
ink and a small brush. 

The address should be printed in ink with a small water- 
colour brush on a piece of white cardboard large enough to 
cover the closed-in part. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 59 

At the top, print "Valuable Live Stock," then the address 
of the party to whom it is consigned, and by what express; 
then in red ink underline "Valuable Live Stock," and write 
"Rush!" across the corner. It is best not to state "Live Cat," 
as many of the expressmen despise a cat, and then tease it. 
They are also quite ignorant of the value of a show cat ; there- 
fore, as the cat is usually in the dark part of the box, where 
it cannot be seen, "Valuable Live Stock" produces more re- 
spect, thereby insuring more care and attention. 

After addressing and nailing down, the box should be 
corded round with light box-cord, which will provide some- 
thing to carry and handle the box by easily, thus saving the 
poor cat many a bang and bump. Cats are very timid travel- 
lers, and everything possible should be done to make them 
comfortable. 

It is best to ship at night, even on short journeys, as the 
cat is then delivered the next morning, thus saving much delay. 

Always remember it is far kinder to ship your cats in 
boxes which are not too large and heavy, as the heavy boxes 
are thrown about like trunks, and in some cases I have heard 
of animals being killed in these heavy crates and boxes. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

KITTEN RAISING. 

Kittens raised from strong, healthy parents, even though 
they may be of the highest pedigree, are very little trouble to 
raise, and should they contract any illness, they usually re- 
cover. 

On the other hand, if you try to raise kittens from deli- 
cate, underfed and neglected cats, then you may expect trouble 
from the beginning. Even from the time they are born, one 
or more of the litter will be small and delicate, probably only 
surviving a few hours or days. Previously I had many such 
experiences, and often raised but two or three kittens in the 
season out of perhaps a dozen or more. This was due, I have 
since discovered, to over-breeding the parents and not feed- 
ing correctly; by making experiments through taking other 
people's advice, which was more often wrong than right 



6o EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

I well remember feeding- my cats and kittens one year on a 
mixed diet of fish, meat, cereals and milk; the result was dis- 
astrous. The kittens had sore eyes dysentery, chronic colds, 
worms, and finally distemper, and I lost practically all my 
youngsters. This was my first and last experience of a mixed 
and milk diet. 

I confess it took some time to condition my breeding stock 
and eradicate the worms, which I found was impossible with- 
out first ridding them of fleas. 

After several years, I am now able to keep all my cats 
free from fleas and worms; they all look bright-eyed and 
healthy, and, above all, I am able to raise nearly every kitten 
which is born ; even though they have become more highly bred, 
yet they improve each year in strength. 

I mention some of my experiences in this chapter, as I 
wish it understood that I base my information and advice on 
kitten raising purely from bitter experience with each and 
every treatment and diet. 

If you have delicate stock, it will, of course, take several 
seasons to secure complete success, but under the following 
treatment a steady improvement will be noticed in the young 
kittens. 

First, it must be remembered that cats are carnivorous ani- 
mals, and in their wild state young kittens would go straight 
from the mother and eat raw flesh, either birds or pieces of 
meat from any small animal the mother might kill. 

These being the natural conditions, why should we not 
follow them out, instead of thinking we can alter nature by 
trying to raise carnivorous animals on cooked meat, milk and 
cereals? 

Taking the size of a calf in comparisan with a tiny five 
weeks' kitten, one could imagine that the calf needs far 
stronger milk than the kitten ; therefore, pure cow's milk is 
sure to be too strong, and is certain to disagree with it. You 
will notice milk-fed kittens have large, distended stomachs ; 
they suffer from chronic diarrhoea, caused by indigestion, and 
consequently appear in a semi-starved condition. 

They are slightly better raised on a mixed diet with sweet- 
ened condensed milk, but to grow highly-bred kittens to per- 
fection, nothing can replace a raw meat diet. If the mother 
cat has a good-sized family to raise, the kittens must be fed 
at four weeks old ; if not, it will be noticed after that age they 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 6l 

begin to get thin. When meat is given, they will quickly 
devour it, but at this early age the meat must be scraped. 
Shin of beef is the easiest, as the lean meat is easily scraped 
from the gristle. Moisten this meat with a little lime-water, 
and place a tiny piece in each kitten's mouth ; they will usually 
grab your fingers to get more, but do not feed much at first — a 
piece about the size of the top of your little finger. Feed once 
a day for the first few days, then increase to two meals, finally 
to three. 

It must be remembered that as you feed the kittens, so 
must you reduce the quantity of the mother's food, or you 
will find she will get more milk than the kittens will take, and 
at the age of six weeks only leave her with the kittens at night. 
At seven or eight weeks, take her away altogether. 

Nothing ruins your queen more than allowing her to nurse 
four or five large kittens, and, as it reduces her strength, the 
milk becomes unfit for the kittens, and their digestions become 
deranged. When the kittens require to be fed three times 
a day, it will be found tedious work scraping the meat ;;^ there- 
fore, select the leanest parts of the beef (shin is best, using 
the parts without gristle) ; have this put two or three times 
through a meat-chopper, using the finest knives ; then add 
enough lime-water to make it moist, mixing it with a spoon or 
fork. 

When the kittens are eating readily, the best method of 
feeding each separately is to take a short cake tin, turn it up- 
side down, and place upon it four or five patches of meat, 
according to the number of kittens, never allowing any one 
kitten to eat more than its share. It will be found necessary 
to feed only two or three kittens together as they get older, 
or they will fight over the meat. 

Perhaps the most difificult task is to explain just how much 
meat should be given to each kitten, and how to increase the 
quantity as the kitten gets older. This must be left to the 
judgment of the person who is feeding, and therein lies much 
of the art of successful kitten raising. 

Feed only as much as will be eaten quickly; the kittens 
should always appear very hungry for each meal. Yet when 
you feel they are fat and solid, you are certain in your own 
mind that they are having all that is good for them; if they 
seem extra hungry, increase the meal slightly, but should 
this increase in any way upset them, or make them show lack 



62 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

of interest in the next meal, you will know that the original 
quantity was sufficient. 

When the kittens get older, the. very best parts of the 
meat can be reserved for a younger litter, and the rest can 
be minced twice through the chopper for the older ones. At 
the age of three months a little gristle and a very little fat 
can be left in the meat, also raw bones should be given, leaving 
nice little pieces of raw meat, but removing any loose pieces 
of fat or gristle which may be large enough to cause indiges- 
tion. When you see how these bones are relished, you will 
easily recognize in kittens the true carnivorous instinct ; they 
tear and gnaw at them just like so many wild animals. In 
winter, bones can be left with them until the next morning, 
but in summer they should always be quite fresh, and only 
left until the next meal and then removed. 

If bones are not provided every day, a third meal must 
be given ; but bones are best, as they keep the teeth in con- 
dition, and kittens provided with them have no difficulty when 
teething. 

Arrangements should be made with the butcher to pro- 
vide you with a full cut shin every day ; then the gristly parts 
can be used for the full-grown cats, the next best for the 
half-grown kittens, and the very best for the tiny ones. 

The rough end-bone should be given to the older cats, 
and the middle sections to the kittens, being sure to remove 
the marrow, as this will upset kittens. In addition to this, 
if you have a number of cats, procure fresh meat cuttings 
or breasts of lamb ; have all the bones removed, and put the 
meat through the chopper. A fair percentage of fat will not 
hurt the older cats and kittens, if fed raw. 

When the butcher understands you really need the meat 
for your prize cats, he will be more liberal ; if not, I advise a 
change of butcher, making arrangements about your cats' 
meat before giving him your custom. Any beef bones are 
acceptable, such as neck and rib bones ; neck of beef will do 
in place of shin. It is not necessary to have the expensive 
parts of meat, provided the other is thoroughly fresh. 

If you have a great number of kittens to feed, a small 
quantity of cooked lamb or sheep's liver can be used ; but al- 
ways remember three parts raw meat must be used, and lime- 
water mixed with all food until the kittens are full-srrown. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 63 

Never give pig's or beef liver, or even hearts, as they 
are most indigestible. 

If at the age of ten months the kittens show any inclina- 
tion to scratch, and there are no fleas present, it is usually an 
indication of irritation caused by the coat shedding. Give a 
pinch of phosphate of soda on each meal for a week or two ; 
this will prevent the irritation and also stop the hair from 
falling so rapidly. 

In summer, all meat must be kept in the ice-box. Many 
people think it is injurious to feed meat ice cold, but I have 
never found this to do any harm on the very hottest days. 
When the kittens have reached a panting condition, I have 
given them all their meals straight from the ice-box ; on the 
other hand, should there be a decided drop in the temperature, 
it is best to give the food with the chill off. Either stand it in a 
warmer place for a few hours before feeding, or mix with a 
little hot water or liver gravy. 

Never give kittens any stewed meat, stew gravy or beef- 
tea; all cooked meats cause dysentery, just the same as milk 
foods. 

Kittens, when healthy, are always constipated, and they 
need no oil or laxatives, nor any foods which cause such con- 
ditions ; therefore, I do not recommend fish, milk, cereals, 
oatmeal, potatoes, etc. Milk and fish act as laxatives, and 
cereals produce a heated state of the blood and skin troubles. 

Kittens raised on a meat diet are seldom ill, and if they 
catch cold or contract contagious and infectious diseases, they 
are as a rule easy to cure and seldom succumb. 

Kittens should always have access to green grass or oats 
grown in pots; but it will be noticed they do not appreciate 
this until they have nearly attained their full growth ; at this 
age they are apt to overeat occasionally, as they have prac- 
tically stopped growing, and then they partake of the green 
grass as a medicine, whenever needed. 

Vegetables, such as cooked spinach, asparagus, green 
peas, and all kinds of greens may be minced with the kittens' 
meat once or twice a week, when they attain the age of eight 
or ten months, using, of course, only a small quantity. 

Roast lamb or beef, underdone, is much appreciated, 
without fat, of course, and minced. If a kitten shows a loss 
of appetite, do not force it to eat for twenty-four hours, and 
if you know it has been eating anything to upset it, give a 



64 EVERYBODYS CAT BOOK 

one-grain cascara tablet, or three grains to a six-month kitten ; 
then, if it shows signs of any particular disease, put it on 
invalid diet; dose as per instructions in chapters on diseases. 

Always remove any kitten that appears ill, even if it is 
only slightly upset, for often these infantile disturbances are 
highly contagious. 

Do not try to give medicines continually to your kittens ; 
it is a great mistake. A cascara tablet or a few doses of bis- 
muth are all that are necessary when they are properly fed. 
Remember, all meat must be finely minced and thoroughly 
fresh, as tainted meat will upset any kitten. 

Kittens raised on raw meat do not become savage, as is 
erroneously supposed ; ill-temper is hereditary, or can also be 
caused by teasing and rough treatment. 

Kittens treated kindly never become spiteful, even though 
they have tasted nothing but raw meat; but if either parent 
is ill-tempered, it is sure to appear in some of the kittens. 

The average growth of a large healthy kitten is one 
pound a month, and several of a litter will gain as much as 
this, though the females and lighter-coloured kittens are not 
usually as large. If they weigh seven pounds at seven months, 
they generally make good-sized cats. 

Autumn-bred kittens do not grow fast during the winter. 
They make their growth later on, when the warm spring 
weather comes. 

When starting in the cat fancy I was informed that 
ninety per cent, of all kittens died. I am happy to say I 
have discovered that, with careful treatment, ninety per cent, 
of my kittens grow up. It certainly would be a poor recom- 
pense to any fancier to lose ninety per cent, of his young 
stock, and yet I know this to be the case with many cat 
fanciers. 

Robinson's patent barley, made with sweetened condensed 
milk, adding a raw tgg and lime-water, given once a day, 
makes a good third meal for young kittens ; but do not let 
them take too much of this, and discontinue it if it deos not 
thoroughly agree with them. Kittens should always be raised 
in large, airy rooms or buildings with covered runs. Never 
allow them to get wet or sit on damp ground ; avoid draughts 
and shut all windows at night, except in severe hot spells, as 
sudden temperature changes will produce colds. 

Fresh air and exercise is essential for the welfare of 
kittens. 




Fairy Silver Bells. 




Lord Lorin. 



CHAPTER XXX. 
BREEDING QUEENS. 

The greatest attention should be given to the condition 
of all breeding queens, for unless they are in perfect health 
their kittens are sure to be delicate. 

Queens should not be bred from until they are a year 
old, if it is possible to keep them so long. They often show 
signs of wanting to mate at eight to ten months, but if they 
eat well and do not get thin it is best to keep them from 
breeding until they are at least a year old. 

If you possess a thoroughbred long-haired queen, and 
she is used to running in and out, the chances are you will 
be presented with a family of half-breeds before you are 
aware of anything happening; but this misalliance has no 
detrimental effect on subsequent litters of thoroughbreds. 

Therefore, it is best to confine your cat to the house 
when she is about eight months old, only allowing her out in a 
wired-in run or when you are able to accompany her on her 
strolls. 

The first sign of wanting to breed is unusual affection, 
restlessness and mewing, and in some cases loud howls ; but 
the higher bred cats seldom become noisy. 

These restless attacks last usually a week, but should 
they continue for weeks together, it is best to mate your queen, 
even though you may consider her rather young. 

It will be to your advantage to send your queen to a very 
good stud cat, rather than mate her to any moderate speci- 
men you may own. Choose a cat which excels in colour-breed- 
ing and any good points which your queen may not possess. 

The two cats, if possible, should be of different ages, 
unless, of course, both are in their prime, which is from 
two to sitx years. If your queen is very young, never mate her 
to a young male ; and if your cat is getting old, choose a 
male under five years of age. The resulting litters will be 
finer and stronger. 

The first litter is seldom as strong as those following, al- 
though, when, of course, the queen begins to get old, the 
number in the litters decreases, the kittens become delicate, 



66 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

and do not grow so large. This does not usually happen 
until they reach the age of seven or eight years. 

Many fanciers think cats are mere machines, and that 
they can raise two and three litters a year. When they fail 
to raise the kittens to maturity, they do not seem to realize 
that it is because the mother cat's strength has been overtaxed. 

With highly-bred cats it is far best to let them have only 
one litter a year, especially if it is from a young queen. From 
a queen two or three years old, who is strong and healthy, 
two litters may be taken; but it is best to get a foster-cat to 
raise all or part of the first family; then again, if a good, 
strong cat has only two or three kittens at a time, she may be 
mated again the same year; but if a queen has four or five 
kittens, this should be quite sufficient for the year. In any 
case, in a country like this, with extremes of heat and cold, 
it will be found that one spring litter will be all that can be 
raised successfully, unless it is possible to raise the autumn 
litter in a warm place all winter; if not, the kittens will not 
grow any more than autumn-hatched chickens do. 

In more moderate climates the breeding seasons are dif- 
ferent. Take England, for instance. The winter is moder- 
ately warm, usually only freezing slightly, and in summer the 
hottest weather is about eighty degrees, and that very seldom. 

In such a climate animals are better breeders, because 
they have more strength. 

I remember, when in England, having great difficulty in 
keeping my queens from breeding a second time during the 
summer months ; but here there is no difficulty after the first 
litter has been raised, the queens showing little desire to start 
again on another family; and, if allowed to do so, it will be 
noticed they have not enough strength to grow coats for the 
winter; whereas the cat that has only one family a year is 
able to grow a full coat, and get into grand show form. If 
your cats do not coat up in the winter, they are not in a fit 
condition to breed from in the spring, and cannot raise a satis- 
factory litter. 

I cannot recommend too strongly breeding only once 
from a cat during the year. Even from a financial point of 
view, it pays better, as one strong litter ready to dispose of 
at any time is far more profitable than two litters which are 
always more or less ailing. 

Many persons have an idea that kittens are difficult to 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 67 

raise, but they will find, if they are treated as highly-bred 
animals, fed and bred from to their greatest advantage, in- 
stead of being treated as so many money-making machines, 
they can be raised without difficulty. 

They can be worn out just like machines, for the oftener 
you breed from a cat, the younger it leaves off breeding, and, 
what is far worse, just as they should be in their prime they 
discontinue to breed for a year or two, from the result of too 
many previous litters. 

Breeding queens are best kept in a cattery, as when "in 
kitten" they are liable to get frightened or hurt. If "my lady" 
is a house pet, then it is impossible to shut her up, as she will 
get out of condition, so all precautions must be taken to 
prevent her injuring herself. 

The family may be expected nine weeks after mating, 
but do not become unduly alarmed should it arrive a few 
days or even a week late, if your cat eats and is well. 

A comfortable bed should be arranged in a darkened cor- 
ner, but should Madam Puss choose her own bed, allow her 
to remain if possible, and move her whenever you desire, after 
the kittens are born. 

It is best not to move them for several days, but in the 
meantime slip a clean warm blanket or bath-towel under them. 

The latter is best in very warm weather, as too much 
warmth in the box distresses the mother ; so a blanket placed 
flat in the box with a bath-towel over it affords purchase 
for the kittens' feet when nursing, and does not make the 
bed too warm. In colder weather, padding of soft material 
can be put around under the blanket and in the corners, form- 
ing a round nest. All bedding should be removed and the 
box swept out at least twice a week, and the towel shaken 
every day and changed whenever it becomes soiled. 

Treatment when kittening, and for raising the kittens, 
will be found in other chapters. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

CATS AT TIME OF KITTENING. 

All cats, previous to the time of having their kittens, 
should be well fed on two raw meat meals a day, larger than 



68 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

their usual meals, and no other diet given. Nine weeks 
elapses from date of mating before the kittens can be expected, 
and it is not unusual for a cat to be several days or even 
a week late, but nothing should be done unless the cat seems 
ill. 

Should the kittens arrive before time, you will know 
that the cat has been injured in some way, probably while 
searching for a bed or fighting with other cats, etc. 

If possible, the cat should be kept in one room for about 
a week beforehand, and be provided with a nice comfortable 
bed. Perhaps nothing makes a better bed than a borax soap 
box, taking off the lid and using two of the boards, nailing 
them above the back half of the box like a roof. Cut a piece 
out of one end of the box. so that the kittens, when they are 
old enough, can crawl out. This box should be painted in- 
side and out, and will then make quite a nice bed. Paint a 
light colour inside, and dark out, any tint you may desire, ac- 
cording to the colour of the cats you breed. 

These boxes are a little rough at first, but if painted over 
every year the wood becomes smooth. The idea of the boards 
being made in a pointed roof over the box is to form support 
for a canopy, made by throwing a blanket or curtain over 
the roof, and leaving just room for puss to go in and out, 
covering the "kitten" hole at the side. This covering makes 
it very private for the cat, and also dark, or partially so, for 
the kittens, as for the first two weeks they should not be 
exposed to the full light on account of their eyes. A good, 
healthy cat. as a rule, has no trouble having her kittens, unless 
she is undersized ; but if they become delicate from poor 
feeding or over-breeding, some of the kittens are apt to be 
dead, or are so weak as to be killed at birth, and the cat is 
several days having her kittens, instead of a few hours. 

In case a cat has been injured, and some of the kittens are 
dead, and the cat seems in great trouble, a quarter to half a 
teaspoonful of ergot of rye may be given in a little sweet milk, 
and repeat the dose after several hours, if you are sure there 
are more kittens to follow. 

Do not give the medicine unless you feel sure the cat 
is unable to have her kittens without medical assistance. 

Care should be taken as to the feeding for the first few 
days. As a rule, a cat has plenty of milk, but in the case of 
an old or unhealthy one, there might not be enough milk for 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 69 

the kittens. In such cases give the cat warm, condensed 
milk and egg, and if this is not successful it will be necessary 
to get another cat to raise the kittens. 

As a rule, a cat is apt to have too much milk at first, and 
will need no liquid for the first week or ten days, except 
water, and no increase of food. 

After the first week two good meat meals must be given, 
with condensed milk, egg and lime-water for the midday 
meal, though a third meat meal is even better, always leaving 
fresh water close to the bed. 

In case of a large family, the kittens should be fed at 
four weeks of age ; but no cat should nurse more than four 
kittens, and three will fare much better. 

All bedding should be changed every few days ; old blan- 
kets, shawls and bath-towels make good beds, also outing 
flannel. A bath-towel is best as a bed-covering, as this can 
be shaken every day and changed whenever soiled. The 
rough surface enables the kittens to get a better support for 
their little feet. Never use a smooth, flat surface, as their 
legs, constantly slipping away from under them, cause weak- 
ness and crooked legs. 

The eyes should be carefully watched about the ninth day, 
when they should be open or nearly so; if not, they must be 
bathed and opened with the fingers very gently, and then the 
lids should be greased with lanolin. For further treatment, 
see chapters on the eyes, and kitten raising. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 
FOSTER-MOTHERS. 

Many times a good foster-mother has saved a litter of 
valuable kittens. Young cats are sometimes delicate, or they 
become very excitable when the kittens are born, so they 
get neglected and die. 

Personally I am not in favor of introducing other cats intc 
my cattery amongst my kittens. They usually have fleas, 
worms, and perhaps a spot or two of mange, which is ncz 
discovered until too late. 

I prefer to keep my queens in such condition that thev 



70 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

are able to raise all their own kittens, and if they only breed 
once a year, this is not too much. Should you want to take 
two litters from your queen, then a good, strong, short-haired 
cat is very useful; if she has kittens the same day as your 
own cat, so much the better. A few days, or even ten days 
before, is better than after, for the queen should not be 
allowed to nurse her kittens at all, if they are to be taken 
away. 

If you cannot procure a foster in time, then let your 
queen nurse all her own kittens until you can get one — say 
within a week or ten days. In this case it is better to allow 
the thoroughbred queen to raise one of her own kittens. Most 
short-haired cats will take strange kittens easily, but on their 
arrival it is better to place them in a quiet room, with their 
own kittens, a day or two before introducing the new ones. 

Always be careful how you introduce the little strangers. 
First place one up by her face, and if she begins cleaning 
it, then you will be safe in placing the new kittens with her, 
removing one of her own as you do so ; and do not leave any 
of the short-haired kittens with the cat. 

If, on the other hand, the foster shows a dislike to the 
new kittens, growling and swearing, you must be more cau- 
tious. Take two or three of the foster-cat's kittens, and place 
them, with those you want to give her, in a warm bed, and 
leave for several hours together; then take them all to the 
foster, and she will usually accept them. Do not leave her 
without a kitten all these hours, unless you find her still dis- 
agreeable ; then try shutting her away from both litters of 
kittens; remove the short-haired kittens, and let her return 
to the thoroughbred kittens, using all the time the same bed. 
If this proves unsuccessful, then you may give up any further 
attempts. It is seldom you will find a bad-tempered foster; 
they usually take any and every kitten. 

Do not mix the two families unless you are obliged, as 
any fleas the short-haired cat may have had prior to the birth 
of her kittens flock on to the newly-born kittens, and by 
destroying these kittens your thoroughbreds do not stand 
much chance of getting the fleas. 

Always have the little short-hairs humanely destroyed. 
This is best done in a small wooden or cardboard box, about a 
foot square. Place them on a soft bed, which should first 
be lightly sprinkled with chloroform ; shut the box for a few 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK yi 

minutes, then open and pour in about an ounce more of the 
chloroform. Then shut the box up tightly, and wrap up in 
a thick cloth, leaving for several hours. If they are to be 
drowned, they should be tied in a cloth or bag, which must 
be weighted to keep them under water; then drop into a large 
pail or bath of water. But to chloroform them is quicker 
and far less painful. Always feed and care for the foster as 
you would for your own cat. Remember, she is filling the 
same place, and if she is not properly fed she cannot raise 
good, strong kittens. 

I need hardly suggest that a good home be found for her 
when she has finished with the family, for surely no one who 
raises animals would be inhuman enough to turn her into 
the streets. 

Provided the late owners do not want her returned, it 
is well to find her a home near, where you can have her back 
another time, paying a dollar or so for her use. You may 
also find your friends would gladly loan you their cats every 
year, if they find they are carefully cared for, and it is certainly 
better to always obtain a good, strong, short-haired cat to 
raise the long-haired kittens, if it is possible to get a healthy 
one. 

I do not advise obtaining any cat picked up in the street, 
or from a "Cats' Home," as their condition would not be good 
enough to raise a family of kittens properly; there is also 
the fear of infectious diseases. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 
SHOW MANAGEMENT. 

It is easy to write of "Show Management," and to give 
good advice, but the difficulty arises as to who is to undertake 
the actual work. Some will say, "Pay men or women to do 
it," but anyone who wants a show managed properly will find 
the greatest undertaking is to get the right person or per- 
sons; in fact, there is no truer proverb than, "If you want a 
thing done, do it yourself." Now, as it is impossible to do 
everything connected with show managing personally, one 
must employ very responsible people, in the first place, and 
someone must be always in attendance during every hour of 
the show — that is to say, in the day-time ; and at night a 
trustworthy man should keep watch all the time, to see that 
nothing goes wrong. 

Cat clubs should appoint a committee to supervise the 
work which is to be done. For instance, one should under- 
take the feeding, one the sanitary arrangements, another the 
covering of cages at night ; also the crating and sending off 
-should be carefully attended to. 

For the last ten or twelve years I have attended large 
and small shows, both in England and in this country, so I 
'can give some little advice as to what ought to be done for 
,the comfort of cats during a show. 

Firstly, I might mention that the diseases caught at shows 
by cats are not always due to bad show management, as most 
people seem to think. 

Have you ever sat at the entrance to a hall and watched 
the cats arrive, some by express and some by hand, and seen 
the various ways these poor cats are packed and shipped, 
some in open crates, some in unlined baskets, others with just 
a box with a wire-netting front ! Do the senders, and owners 
realize that this is no way to send a cat travelling, and that 
if they do so they just send disease, and with it infection, 
into every show? When you remonstrate with people, the}^ 
tell you their cat is used to the cold. This may be the case, 
but no matter what temperature your cat lives in, or how 
much it runs in and out of the cold, it should not be placed 




White Aigrette. 



Champion Juhnme Fawe II. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 73 

in an open or draughty box or basket, as it is then obliged 
to sit still and cannot keep up its circulation, and therefore 
a violent cold or distemper is contracted; and, by the first or 
second day of the show, the cat is in the worst stages of 
infection, and endangers the lives of all the other animals 
which have been packed by humane owners or brought per- 
sonally in a careful manner. 

It seems to me that clubs and promoters of cat shows 
would help themselves and lessen the danger of showing if 
they printed an "Important Notice" in their schedules to the 
efifect that if cats are brought or shipped in unlined baskets or 
draughty boxes, they will not be admitted to the show. 

It is quite time some very stringent measures were taken 
to prevent thoughtless and unfeeling owners from killing their 
own cats, and a great many others at the same time. I know 
of one person who ships his cats in large cases with wire 
fronts, like rabbit-hutches, with no covering of any kind 
over the fronts, so that they can be teased and frightened all 
the time they are travelling. They mav be only short-haired 
cats, but these bring illness to shows quite as much as the 
long-haired. 

This dissertation about show boxes may seem to some 
people unnecessary in an article on show management, but 
if fanciers cannot take care of their own cats when they ship 
them, it seems hardly reasonable to expect their cats to return 
home well ; and if they return ill, they are the first to blame the 
show management, never for one moment blaming themselves 
for the careless way in which the cat was packed, and never 
thinking that they may have sent disease into the show, as 
well as bringing it back. 

The first step in managing a show is to procure an attrac- 
tive schedule or premium list, and get the offer of cups and 
medals from different clubs, associations and specialty clubs ; 
also the offer of special prizes from private individuals, either 
money, silver or cups. 

The show should be under the rules of some prominent 
cat association, so that proper championship points may be 
given ; also a full classification should be provided, thus draw- 
ing a much larger entry. 

Many poultry associations give a cat show in this way, 
in connection with their own annual event, providing a separate 
room or hall for the cat exhibits. This adds a great attrac- 



74 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

tion to their show, and increases the gate-money considerably. 
After the premium Hst has been duly printed, it should 
be sent to all the prominent cat exhibitors in or around the 
vicinity. The names and addresses of cat fanciers can be 
procured from catalogues of previous shows, or from the dif- 
ferent cat clubs. It is usually necessary to send out at least 
five hundred premium lists, and to obtain short-haired cats, 
a few advertisements in local papers will be found helpful. 
It is well to fix the date for entries to close about ten days 
before the show date, so as to get all entered up in time for 
the catalogue proof to go to print. All entry blanks should 
be kept to verify any mistakes exhibitors may have made in 
entering their cats. 

The simplest way to enter up the entries is to procure 
a ledger with numbered pages and lettered address pages. 
Use the page numbers to correspond with the class numbers. 
For instance, "Class i — White Long-haired Male, Blue Eyes." 
Enter this on page one in your book, and so on through all the 
classes ; then, when all the entries have been received, the con- 
tents of the book can be copied out for the printers, with, of 
course, the list of exhibitors and their addresses. 

If the club does not own its own pens, they can be hired; 
about a dozen extra ones should be ordered, to use for judg- 
ing, etc. 

These pens, for a two or three days' show, should not 
be smaller than forty-two by twenty-one inches each. 

Of course, many owners attend the shows themselves, and 
line their pens with some warm material, or place cushions in- 
side; but for cats shipped alone, their comfort should be 
attended to, and the pen lined with a sheet of warm wrapping 
paper ; this should be changed when it becomes soiled. 

The whole floor of the building should be swept with 
sawdust dampened with strong disinfectant. This lays the 
dust and cleans the floor. 

No disinfectant should be used at any other time in the 
hall, as it makes the air so strong that it aflfects the eyes and 
breathing of the cats, and also is most objectionable to ex- 
hibitors. 

One of the largest cat shows ever held was run entirely 
without the use of disinfectants, except for cleansing the 
pans. Many visitors and exhibitors said that it was the 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 75 

pleasantest show they had attended, as there were no strong 
odours. 

The "strong odour" which had been noticed at other times 
was due to the use of strong-smelHng disinfectants, which do 
no good and make the cats very ill. Strict cleanliness is all 
that is necessary to make the air pleasant. 

A pan of dry sand should be placed in each cage. The 
pans can be obtained at no great expense, and should be 
owned by every club holding shows. A suitable pan is one 
of bright tin, about seven by nine inches, and one and a half 
inches in depth. These can be bought for seven cents each. 
Before using, they should be numbered on the outside at each 
end. This can be done with a small brush and a tin of black 
spirit paint in a very short time. These pans should be placed 
in the cages of corresponding numbers. 

During the show they should, if necessary, be changed 
several times a day, and dipped in a tub of strong solution 
of permanganate of potash, about a tablespoonful of the crys- 
tals to two gallons of water. It is best to have two tanks of 
this solution, dipping the pan first in one and then in the 
second. Drain off, and fill again with dry sand. 

One attendant should be kept entirely to change the pans 
at any time necessary during the day. 

At the close of the show they should be well disinfected 
and dried and packed away for the next year, as they will 
last several years, if properly taken care of. 

The next item is feeding. Positively no milk should be 
allowed in a show. It is considered by eminent physicians to 
be the greatest germ-breeder in existence ; so surely this should 
not be given a cat in a show, where no one can be sure that 
there are no disease-germs. If cats cannot drink fresh water 
for three days, they are better kept at home. Various diets 
have been tried at shows, but I have never seen anything so 
much appreciated or less likely to upset a cat in confinement 
than minced raw meat. Someone should be appointed on the 
feeding committee who thoroughly understands feeding cats, 
and should go around with the men attendants at feeding 
time, with a list of the cage numbers, and mark off each cat's 
number as it is fed, as sometimes cats are penned in different 
corners of the hall, and some cats might be overlooked or some 
irate exhibitor mav assert that his or her cat has not been 



76 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

fed ; then you can show your list, and if the cat's number is 
marked off the same as the others, the matter is settled. 

A small quantity should be fed night and morning, care 
being taken that kittens are not given as much as full-grown 
cats. This meat should be given on small-sized cardboard pie- 
plates or wooden butter-dishes, and about an hour after feed- 
ing, these, with whatever meat is left, should be thrown away, 
as what has remained in the hall for two or three hours is not 
fit to be eaten, and fresh dishes should be used for each meal. 

Another thing to be seen to is the emptying out of all 
stale water and giving fresh. This should be done at the 
same time as the feeding, and also twice a day. 

The great difficulty with a cat show is to keep it well 
ventilated without opening doors or windows on any par- 
ticular cat. A row of windows should be kept slightly open 
at the top, always being careful to shut those where there is 
too much draught. Halls are apt to become over-heated where 
there is a large attendance. This generally happens in the 
afternoon and evening. If the heating apparatus were care- 
fully regulated during these hours, this would be avoided. 
This is a very difficult matter to overcome, as it is generally 
thought of when it is so warm as to be unpleasant to oneself. 
Then it requires some time to reduce the temperature. The 
temperature at night also is a very important point. Of course, 
with furnaces banked down for the night, the hall is sure 
to become somewhat cooler, but great precaution should be 
taken to prevent the men from opening all the windows to 
"air the place out." 

The ordinary working man has an utter disregard for 
cats, and all he thinks about is "getting rid of the smell," 
which, of course, is impossible with fifty or more male cats 
in a building. Therefore, as I said before, a responsible per- 
son should watch the hall at night, to avoid, if possible, any 
"cooling off." 

Never allow the sprinkling of sawdust saturated with 
strong disinfectant under the show benches. This is most in- 
jurious both to the cats and their owners. 

The sawdust that is used is as fine as dust, and when it 
becomes dry with the heated atmosphere, floats about in the 
air, affecting the eyes, nose and lungs, thus causing consider- 
able irritation of the mucous membrane. 

Next in importance is attending to the boxes and baskets 
the cats have been shipped in. These should be thoroughly 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK yy 

cleaned out and fresh hay put in before the return journey. 
This, I am afraid, is very seldom done, but it should never 
be neglected. Imagine a cat returning in a soiled box or 
hamper, which has probably been so for the best part of a 
week ! This alone would be enough to make a delicate cat 
ill, and would certainly be most unpleasant for the strongest. 
There is ample time, during a three-day show, for the men 
employed to see to this important detail. 

Last, but by no means least, is the packing and sending 
off of the cats. This should be properly attended to by those 
in authority before the hall is left. The managing of a show 
is by no means an easy task. It is a great responsibility, end- 
less work and worry, very little thanks, and usually a great 
deal of abuse from unreasonable persons. 

If fanciers only knew how much they could save show 
managers by the careful packing of their cats, patience, and 
less aggressiveness, I am sure they would not complain at 
every little thing which goes wrong. No large show can be 
run without some little thing happening, and as long as it is 
nothing serious, why raise objections? 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 
PREPARING CATS FOR THE SHOW-PEN. 

One often wonders how much has really been written on 
the above subject — namely, the care of show cats — and how 
many different ways have been advised ; also, whether novices 
really take advice, or do they know best, until experience, 
sometimes very bitter, teaches them, perhaps taking some 
years to do so. This, I think, was somewhat the case with 
myself. 

The method I now have of successfully raising and show- 
ing my cats and kittens is practically the same as I was first 
advised ; yet, as a matter of fact, I have tried various experi- 
ments, some good and some bad, and not until recent years, 
may I say, have I been entirely successful. When you tell 
novices what to do with their cats if they wish to show them, 
they often remark, "If I have to take all that care I would 



78 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

not show my cats." But really, keeping show cats is much 
less worry that keeping four or five pet cats. 

When you begin to give minute details, it appears very 
intricate to a beginner, so I will therefore give as simple a 
method as possible to care for show cats. 

A cat kept in clean surroundings, well fed and cared for, 
needs very little preparation for the show-pen ; in fact, the 
conditioning should continue throughout the year, for, unless 
you keep your cats in good form always, it is useless to expect 
them to be fit for showing in a few weeks. If your cattery is 
properly kept, the inmates should need no undue amount of 
cleaning. 

In the first place, to ensure your cats growing a good coat, 
all old hair should be combed out in the autumn, as any old, 
rusty hair spoils the appearance of the new coat. Then the 
cat should not be allowed free run of the "garden walls," or 
the new coat will get wet and soiled, worn on rough walls 
and fences, and torn out on bushes. I have never yet seen 
a cat which had its entire freedom look as well as the care- 
fully cared-for "cattery cat." All cats are better for fresh air 
and exercise, but if they are allowed out in all weather, their 
condition both as to coat and health must deteriorate. 

Remember, a cat, to be in "show" form, should have a 
huge coat; this also takes time to grow; and to do this they 
must be amply fed as soon as the weather gets cool after 
the summer heat. 

The best diet to condition a cat for the winter shows is 
raw meat, finely minced through a mincing machine, which 
is better than that cut with a knife, as many cats have defec- 
tive teeth and do not masticate their food, swallowing large 
pieces of meat whole. 

A raw meat diet produces a wonderful coat and keeps 
the cats in such good health that, should they come in contact 
with disease or encounter cold weather when travelling, they 
seldom get seriously ill, as do most underfed or milk-fed 
specimens sent to shows. 

I do not say a meat diet will always grow a coat, as with- 
out breeding, a cat will not obtain that wealth of coat that a 
pedigreed animal does. I wonder how many well-bred cats 
one sees during the show season, which have only a few long 
hairs to denote they belong to the "long-haired" section ! 

These are the cats which need to be properly fed, and 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 79 

not over-bred, then they could be easily conditioned and im- 
prove the appearance of our winter shows. 

When the cat's coat becomes thick and long, great care 
should be taken to keep the hair free from mats, for one 
small knot in the hair will set up an irritation of the skin, and 
in a day or two the knot becomes one large mat, and has to be 
cut out with the scissors. 

Have all the cat's surroundings kept scrupulously clean 
always ; especially so a week before a show. Then, about 
three days before, clean the cat thoroughly by first dampening 
the coat with a little alcohol and water, rub well with a 
rough towel, clean out the ears and powder inside with boracic 
acid ; then take a flour-dredger and dust the cat well with 
corn-starch, rubbing it in the coat well with the hands ; the 
next three days should be spent in brushing out the corn-starch, 
as any left in the coat spoils the colour, and in many cases may 
cause disqualification in the show-pen to those colours it im- 
proves, such as chinchillas, whites, etc. 

A properly kept cat does not need all this cleaning; just 
a little around the frill and ears is all that is necessary. 

Before sending to a show, always cut the tips of pussy's 
claws, as they may get caught in the wire on the shipping 
crate, and cause an accident ; also, many a person lets a cat 
go on account of a good hard scratch ; therefore, it is safer for 
the cat and kinder to the people and judges at shows, who 
have to handle them. 

When away from home, cats are apt to become very 
frightened, and even the most gentle ones will bite and scratch 
when handled by strange people at shows. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 
FEEDING. 

More attention should be paid to the diet of an animal 
than any other part of its care. 

There can be no success if your cat is not properly fed. 

It must be clearly understood, if you are starting to breed 
pedigreed animals, and many of them, they cannot be fed 
as you would one pet cat, which has its entire liberty and does 



8o EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

not breed. Breeding from animals taxes their strength to 
the utmost, and they must be fed in proportion, or they will 
become weakly and contract all kinds of diseases, especially 
skin diseases. 

Cats should be fed strictly on a meat diet ; no cereals, such 
as oatmeal, rice, etc. ; no potatoes, and, lastly, not a drop of 
cow's milk, whether it is boiled or not, even should you keep a 
cow. We had a Jersey cow for some years, but not a cat in 
the place was allowed milk; in fact, few of them would drink 
milk after being fed on meat. 

Milk feeding causes chronic dysentery, and a cat or kitten 
so fed is never free from worms. They are also subject to 
skin trouble, from poverty of blood ; in fact, a milk-fed cat 
is always in a semi-starved condition. 

Of course, I know cats have been fed on milk for years, 
and in many cases they live on it; but the same cat could 
be changed on to a meat diet with marked improvement. 

On the other hand, try changing a meat- fed cat to a milk 
and cereal diet. The result will be disastrous, the cat soon 
being reduced to a wreck of its former self. 

Meat has been proved by a majority of successful breed- 
ers to be the only proper diet for the fancy cat. Raw beef is 
best, preferably minced, with bones given daily or at frequent 
intervals, and fresh green grass always accessible. 

The quantity given must entirely depend on circumstances 
For instance, a cat in the summer months, if not being bred 
from, needs only two small meat meals a day, or as much as 
it will eat up quickly. Breeding cats need large meals night 
and morning, about half a pound of meat each during the 
day, and in the autumn, about September, let them have all 
they can eat twice a day, to fatten them up and grow a coat 
for the winter, giving less about January or February, unless 
they are kept where it is excessively cold. About March, a 
pinch of phosphate of soda may be given once a day for a 
week or two, to cool the blood and prevent the cat shedding 
its hair too quickly. 

Cats "in kitten" should have about six ounces of lean 
raw meat twice a day, moistened with a little lime-water. 

For those keeping a number, I would advise buying a 
full cut shin of beef or several pounds of neck. Have this 
cut up and minced ; then, in addition to this, a lamb's or 
sheep's haslet may be cut up and cooked, using only the best 



■■^^■BT'^'SM 


IBSB 




HPk^ 


■H 


MM JBF' '|H 


i^E^iM^ll^ T 


^Hj 


HHi^^n^^H 


K^. 


• 


^^Hpi 


p^ 




--•ui^ -'Attiiu^-^ 



Champion Petie K. 




Champion Ijikh Kkw Taxgerine. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 8l 

parts. Have this minced when cold, and use the gravy to 
mix it together with the raw meat. A httle green vegetable 
may be added. Always use three parts raw meat to one of 
any substitute. Never use bread, but dog-cakes broken up 
and soaked in cold water for twelve hours, then put through 
the mincer and mixed with three parts raw meat, is also a 
good diet, as the biscuit is far more nourishing than bread or 
any other cereal. 

Bear in mind that this mixed diet should only be fed to 
cats which are not breeding, such as neuters, young cats, or 
old cats which have given up breeding, all kittens, cats "in 
kitten," or nursing kittens, and all stud cats, should be fed on a 
pure meat diet. 

Fresh lamb or mutton, boned and minced, fed raw, agrees 
very well with cats. The fat cannot be removed, but when 
fed raw it does not disagree with them; but lamb or beef 
should on no account be fed when boiled; lamb becomes too 
rich, and cooked fat upsets a cat very quickly; the beef be- 
comes hard and indigestible. 

Beef hearts and pigs' livers should never be given, and 
cooked beef liver very seldom ; no liver should be fed raw. 

I have often wondered how fanciers could write to the 
cat papers and advocate a mixed cereal and milk diet, with 
an occasional meat meal. They seem to convince themselves 
that it is correct, but if you were to see their cats, as I have 
done, you would notice the poor animals are sorely in want 
of a good meat diet ; and when shown at the winter shows, they 
are conspicuous for want of coat ; they look as if they had 
forgotten all about winter, and had retained their summer 
raiment. The fact is, they have only beeen provided with 
enough food to keep them alive, and have not had enough 
nutritious food to grow their coats. 

When you observe well-bred, long-haired cats at our win- 
ter shows, almost hairless, you can draw your own conclusions ; 
either they have been hopelessly underfed or bred from too 
often; in some cases both. 

It is far more profitable to keep just one or two cats 
and feed them properly than to keep a number and feed them 
badly. 

Poor diet is the root of most "ills." 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 
BATHING AND CLEANING. 

Never bathe a cat unless positively obliged to; if by ac- 
cident puss has tumbled into anything- which has badly soiled 
the hair, such as paint, or, as often happens, has become en- 
tangled with a sticky fly-paper, then, of course, a washing is 
necessary, and should be done immediately. 

To remove paint or sticky fly-paper, I have found nothing 
to answer the purpose so well as warm water and napthaline 
soap, using a little turpentine on a rag at first to the very 
bad patches. If the soap alone will not remove all, then put 
a little soda in the water. Rinse well after washing, and dry 
with rough bath-towels. If in winter, place in a warm room 
until thoroughly dry. 

It is a dangerous practice to wash a cat constantly, for 
sooner or later it is sure to contract a bad cold or pneumonia. 
The best way to cleanse a cat's coat is by dry cleaning. First 
comb all knots out of the fur with a wire comb; then, if the 
hair is very much soiled or greasy, rub with a rough towel 
moistened with alcohol and water, half and half. Rub nearly 
dry, then take a flour-dredger filled with dry corn-starch, and 
dust the cat over lightly, rubbing the starch in around the 
nose and eyes with the fingers, to prevent any getting in the 
eyes and nose. After rubbing well into the coat with the 
hands, brush and comb thoroughly, and if all the hair does 
not become fluffy, repeat the process where necessary. 

It is best to do this cleaning in a bath-room, spreading 
a sheet on the floor, as the "dry" process is apt to cover every- 
thing more or less with powder. 

Dry cleaning does not spoil the coat, whereas a cat which 
is constantly washed never grows a good coat, as the soap 
and water removes all the natural oil, and the hair becomes 
brittle, breaks off, and also turns a rusty colour. A cat fre- 
quently washed becomes dirty much sooner than one which 
is "dry" cleaned, as they will not clean themselves when con- 
stantly washed. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 
JUDGING. 

A good judge of cats should have had years of experience 
in breeding in order to reaHze quickly all the good, as well as 
bad, points in the animal he is judging; also, he must show 
no partiality towards the owner, nor should he favor any cer- 
tain cat because a long price has been paid' for it, as that does 
not make it the best ; for one must remember that often hun- 
dreds of dollars will not purchase some of the best cats of the 
day. Now, if any of these things are likely to influence you 
at all, do not attempt to judge. You may please a few people 
at a show, but you will displease the whole fancy by partiality 
in judging. Do not try to please the owners, but put the 
best cats first, and the majority will thank you. Of course, 
it is useless to try to please everybody, because unreasonable 
persons are to be found everywhere. 

Many think, because they love their cats, they must be 
the best; but unfortunately people often pick out the worst 
show cat to make their special pet. This is a great mistake 
for any fancier to make. You must know, when breeding 
animals, that you cannot keep them all ; therefore, make up 
your mind to make the greatest pet of the best kitten. By so 
doing, you educate it and improve its disposition, and make 
it as fearless as possible in the show-pen. 

Remember that most judges have their own methods, 
but they generally work out the same in the end ; so in this 
article I can give the novice hints from my own personal ex- 
perience. For instance, it is, in my opinion, quite impossible 
for any judge to judge every cat with a score-card. You will 
find, after judging a few years, that your score-card is in your 
own head; that is to say, you must bear in mind all the dif- 
ferent points of the three or four cats you have picked out 
as winners, and compare them, one with the other. You will 
find, if you test your judgment with a score-card afterwards, 
that the result will practically be the same. Of course, for 
judging different colored cats for cups and special prizes, you 
mieht find the score-card useful. 



84 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

In judging, never run away with the idea of one extra 
good point in a cat making it the winner ; you must compare 
all their points one against the other, before deciding which 
is the best. 

Never judge cats in the show-pen ; always take them out 
and either place them on a table or in a judging-pen; but if 
a cat rubs incessantly against the wire, it is better to take it 
out, as a long-haired cat's beauty is spoiled when the coat is 
smoothed down. 

Do not judge a cat's head by its appearance, but always 
place your hand across the front of the skull, and feel if it is 
wide. Another great point, and one seldom noticed by judges, 
is the width of the chest. This also should be felt. In fact, 
half the judging should be done by well handling the cats. If 
you are afraid to handle all sorts of strange cats, do not start 
to judge ; without feeling a long-haired cat you cannot correctly 
judge it, as a wealth of coat often covers a multitude of faults. 

Always handle strange cats, especially males, as if you 
were not the least bit afraid of them. Use loose fitting leather 
gloves, if you wish to get a firm hold on a cat. If it should 
appear savage, grasp it firmly by the "scruff" of the neck, then 
it will be unable to scratch and bite you. I have always made a 
practice of handling all the cats I have made winners and 
have not yet received a bad bite or scratch. One must learn 
to be a good "handler" before one will make a good judge. 

At all shows insist upon having daylight for judging, as 
artificial light appears to alter the colour of the cats ; then when 
the same cats are judged at another show by daylight others 
may reverse your decision, probably correctly, and this will 
reflect on your judgment. 

The short-haired cat should be judged for the same points 
as the long-hair with the exception of the coat, which should 
be very smooth, harsh, and short. The other points for both 
varieties are as follows : — The head should be round, the face 
short, the nose should be snubby and have a good stop — that 
is to say, the nose should have a decided break in the middle 
to make it retrousse in appearance, the cheeks, and under the 
eyes, should be round and very full ; the eyes large and round 
and set straight in the head ; they should not be angular in 
any way ; the ears should be small, and set well apart, pointing 
somewhat forward and well tufted ; the body should be cobby 
and very deep and broad in the chest, and the back as straight 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 85 

as possible ; the legs should appear to be set low down, and not 
to continue up to the top of the shoulders. 

In the long-haired variety, the hair should be as long as 
possible, and no very short hair should be seen across the 
shoulders and hind legs ; this is a very bad fault, as it gives 
a cut-off appearance to the head and frill, and shows a lack 
of good breeding; the legs should be short and thick, and the 
hair on them the longer the better, so that in this respect they 
in no way resemble the short-haired cats. 

I have seen a pedigreed Persian with legs exactly like a 
short-haired cat ; this is very ugly, and you will find that there 
is a defect in the pedigree if a cat has this fault, as the better 
and higher bred a cat is the longer the hair is on the legs, 
and a corresponding length of toe and ear tufts will also 
be noticed. These of course, are good points. The tail should 
be short enough to be carried slightly away from the body, 
but not touching the ground or turning upwards at the end; 
if it does this, you may know it is too long in proportion to 
the length of the legs. The hair should be very long under 
the stomach to prevent a "leggy" appearance. 

The aforementioned points should give the novice a good 
idea of the shape of both the short and long haired cats, and 
the scale of points and description of colour of the different 
varieties given below should be all that is necessary to give 
any one a fair idea of how to choose their winners either in 
breeding or judging. 

One very important point which judges should be strict 
with, is faking of any kind. I am glad to say that, little, if 
any, is done with cats, but such unfair advantages as placing 
powder or jflour on a light cat to make it lighter or to improve 
it in any way, should be strictly prohibited by judges and 
also by show committees ; for where does the novice's chance 
come in when the "old hands" take these unfair advantages ! 
Any cleaning preparations can be brushed out before a show 
and the cat kept in a clean place until that event, thereby 
removing all danger of disqualification by the judges for 
"faking." 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
SCALE OF POINTS. 

Orange and Brown Tabbies. — Orange tabbies to have a 

clear yellow or cream ground colour, with distinct rich orange 

markings; eyes orange. 

Brown tabbies should be a rich red brown with black 

markings ; eyes orange. There should be no shading to white 

in either of these varieties. 

Head and expression 20 

Colour and markings 25 

Colour and expression of eyes 10 

Coat and condition 20 

Shape 15 

Brush or tail 10 

Total 100 

Whites. — Colour pure white, no creamy tinge ; eyes blue 
or orange. 

Colour 10 

Head and expression 20 

Colour and shape of eyes 15 

Condition 20 

Brush or tail 10 

Coat 10 

Shape 15 

Total 100 

Blues. — Colour must be sound to the roots, either dark, 
medium or light ; no shading or markings ; no brown tinge ; 
eyes orange. 

Head and expression 15 

Colour and shape of eyes 15 

Colour 25 

Coat and condition 20 

Brush or tail 10 

Shape 15 

Total 100 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 87 

Blacks.— Colour must be sound to the roots ; no brown 
tinge, shading, or markings ; eyes orange. 

Shape 15 

Head and expression 15 

Colour and shape of eyes 15 

Colour 25 

Coat and condition 20 

Brush or tail 10 

Total 100 

Tortoise-shells. — To be clearly patched with red, yellow, 
and black ; no tabby markings ; eyes orange. 

Shape 15 

Colour 25 

Colour and expression of eyes 15 

Head 15 

Coat and condition 20 

Brush or tail 10 

Total 100 

Tortoise-shells and Whites. — Should have distinct patches 
of red, black, and yellow on a white ground. In this variety 
the patches are larger and much more distinct than the tortoise- 
shell. The scale of points is the same as the tortoise-shell. 

Creams, Fawns and Orange. — Fawns and creams should 
be even in colour, without shadings or markings. Orange 
should be an even rich red, no markings or shadings. Eyes 
for all these varieties should be orange. 

Head and expression 15 

Colour and shape of eyes 15 

Colour 25 

Coat and condition 20 

Brush or tail 10 

Shape 15 

Total 100 

Points for Silver cats, drawn up by the Silver Society of 
America. 

Chinchillas should be pale and unshaded silver, having as 
few tabby markings as possible. Any brown or cream tinge 
to be considered a great drawback. The eyes to be green. 



S8 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

Head 20 

Shape 15 

Colour of coat 25 

Coat and condition 20 

Colour, shape and expression of eyes 10 

Brush or tail 10 

Total 100 

Shaded Silvers. — Should be defined as a pale, clear silver, 
well shaded on face, legs and back, but having as few tabby 
markings as possible; eyes green. Any brown or cream tinge 
a great drawback. 

Head 20 

Colour of coat 25 

Coat and condition 20 

Colour, shape and expression of eyes 10 

Brush or tail 10 

Shape 15 

Total , 100 

Smokes. — A smoke cat must be black, shading to smoke, 
with as light an under coat as possible, and black points, light- 
silver frill and ear tufts; eyes to be orange. 

Head and expression 20 

Colour of eyes 15 

Colour of under coat 10 

Absence of markings 15 

Shape 10 

Brush or tail 10 

Coat and condition 20 

Total 100 

Silver Tabbies. — Should be a pale, clear silver with broad, 
dense black markings. Any brown or cream tinge to be con- 
sidered detrimental. Eyes orange or green. 

Head and expression 20 

Colour and markings 25 

Colour of eyes 10 

Coat and condition 20 

Shape 15 

Brush or tail 10 

Total 100 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 89 

Masked Silvers. — Should be a pale silver cat having dark 
face and legs. The lighter the body and darker the face and 
legs, the nearer approach to type. 

Head and expression 10 

Dark mask and legs 20 

Colour 20 

Colour of eyes 10 

Coat and condition 15 

Shape 15 

Brush or tail 10 

Total 100 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 
PHOTOGRAPHING CATS. 

Many amateurs take "snap shots," but few obtain really 
good pictures of their cats, as time exposures are the most 
satisfactorj'. 

To photograph cats successfully, one requires, as nearly 
as possible, a home studio. This need not be permanent but 
may be arranged in the following manner, just before taking' 
the pictures. Select a large, light window ; a bay window 
gives good light. Near the window place a table or whatever 
you wish your cats or kittens to stand on, using for a back- 
ground a screen about five feet high ; use this screen un- 
covered if it makes a suitable background, if not throw over 
it a curtain, or any other drapery which is suitable to the 
colour of your cat, dark colours, of course, for all Ught-col- 
oured cats and light or nearly white for darker cats. Avoid 
using a figured background ; remember the plainer the sur- 
roundings the more they will show up the "sitters." About 
six feet from the window hang a large white sheet, as near 
to the ceiling as possible, allowing it to touch the floor; this 
should continue right up to the screen and across to the 
camera, thus forming a little studio, and the white sheet 
will reflect the light as well as concentrating it. A sheet 
thrown on the ground will also improve the light, and pre- 
vents heavy shadows. 



90 e:'erybodys cat book 

A northern lig^ht is always considered bes: for photogra- 
phy, but where there is no top light I have found a southern 
window answers best : but never allow tl:e sun to shine on 
your subject. Should the rays fall just where you want to 
place your table, move it further into the room, or pin a 
piece of white mushn over the window to diffuse the sun- 
light. The fastest plates of films should always be used for 
animals, and a noiseless shutter ; perhaps the best shutter 
is the velvet flap worked by a pneumatic ball and long rubber 
tube. These are imported from France. 

It takes two persons to photograph a cat. one to operate 
the camera and the other to attract the subject. The great 
art in attracting a cat's attention is not to cause too much 
excitement. One needs many different de^^ces ; often a 
bimch of long grass tapped on the camera or drawTi up and 
down the sheet at the side will catch pussy's eye; or an 
imitation fly made out of a piece of black cotton or wool 
hung on a short stick: then draw the "fly" up and do^\•n 
until the cat becomes quite interested, keeping it quite still 
just when you want the cat to look. Always keep perfectly 
quiet when you have once gained the cat's attention; any 
movement or conversation will make the cat look in the 
opposite direction just as the plate is being exposed. 

Xever be afraid of over-exposing an ■animal" picture 
taken in-doors: the great dif5cult\- is to get the cat to sit 
still long enough to get a time exposure ; two or three sec- 
onds win not be too long. The person operating the camera 
should watch the cat and at the first sign of movement, drop 
the shutter. Often a picture can be intensified which is 
slightly under-exposed, if there has been no movement. 

If you are photographing kittens and they are too playful, 
you must keep them on the table and let them play vmtil they 
begin to get sleepy; then wake them up with some of your 
"attractions" and you will probably get a good picture ; but 
unless you have endless patience and expect to be several 
hours over one or two pictures, do not attempt animal photo- 
graphy. 



CHAPTER XL. 
INVALID DIET. 

More cats succumb from improper feeding when they are 
ill than from actual disease ; or rather an incorrect diet ag- 
gravates disease. 

In the first stages it is best to give a mild laxative, and 
no food for 12 or 24 hours, according to whether the patient 
is strong and robust, or young and delicate. In cases when 
the digestion is impaired, no solid food should be given : only 
the mildest kind of nourishment, such as Robinson's Patent 
Barley made with little or no milk, with a tablespoonfui of 
lime-water added to each half-pint. In cases of high fever 
give the barley made without milk, instead of water to drink. 
It should be given quite cold, even iced, and made fresh twice 
a day. 

When the patient is getting a little better some sweet- 
ened condensed milk may be used in the barley, and later a 
fresh raw egg added to each half-pint containing the lime- 
water. If the food cannot be retained on the stomach or 
causes dysentery give beef juice squeezed from fresh raw beef. 
To make this, take a cupful of lean raw beef which has been 
finely minced through a meat-chopper, place it in a small 
basin and add about half a cup of water and two tablespoon- 
fuls of lime-water ; stir well and allow to stand for twelve to 
twenty- four hours : then squeeze the meat in a piece of white 
muslin, expressing the juice. If the cat is ver\- ill, use the 
juice weak at first and stronger later, adding less water. Feed 
with a rubber ear syringe at the side of the mouth if neces- 
sary. 

Great care should be taken, after a cat has suft'ered from 
severe internal trouble, when feeding anything solid. If you 
think your cat sufficiently recovered to need more nourish- 
ment, try a ver}- little scraped raw beef : moisten with lime- 
water; if this agrees, more may be given in two hours; after- 
wards the meat may be finely minced several times through a 
meat-chopper and fed sparingly at first, three or four times 
a day. After all long illnesses a good raw meat diet and 
tonic should be given to build up the constitution, otherwise 



92 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

further complications, such as abscesses, etc., will follow from 
low condition. 

Under no circumstances should cooked beef tea, stewed 
meat, cereals or cow's milk be given in any illness. One meal 
of such diet is more than likely to kill the patient. 



CHAPTER XLI. 
EYE TROUBLE. 

There are many causes of eye disease, but probably worms 
cause more eye trouble than any other. A cat which has 
worms seldom has clear, bright eyes. 

Worms affect the whole mucous membrane, which causes 
chronic running of the eyes and otherwise undermining the 
cat's constitution ; therefore the cat is not healthy, and when 
it catches cold in the eyes it becomes chronic and can only be 
properly cured by first ridding the cat of the worms. 

Some years eye trouble seems worse than others, as is 
the case with all diseases. Young kittens, when they first 
open their eyes need careful attention ; if the eye is not open 
on the ninth day it must be looked at closely, and if any 
swelling is noticed the lid must be greased and then forcibly 
opened, or pus quickly forms inside the lids, and if neglected 
presses on the eye-ball and causes the kitten to become blind. 
After the lids have been opened the eyes must be bathed with 
warm cow's milk and water, and the edges of the eyelids 
greased with a little crude lanolin. Eyes such as these must 
be attended to at least three times a day should they close up 
again. 

All kittens when first born, and for two weeks, should 
be kept in semi-darkness ; then by degrees allow more light 
into the bed or room. 

As a precaution against sore eyes at the time they open, 
put one drop of one per cent, solution of nitrate of silver 
right on the eyelids when the kitten is only a few hours old. 
Only apply once. 

Should the eyes continue to be sore after they are first 
open, a lotion must be used. Zinc and rose water as made for 
the human eye I have found very good ; or try one per cent. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 93 

solution of Atropine, diluted with water one-half, using only 
one drop at night. The lanolin on the lids should also be used, 
even with the lotions. Should young kittens still continue to 
have chronic running eyes, accompanied by a head cold or 
sneezing, then you may be sure your kittens have worms. 
These must be expelled before the kitten can be healthy. For 
treatment see chapter on worms. 

I have seen a bad case of ophthalmia appear in a strong, 
healthy kitten, one that is known to be free from worms and 
fleas. This is usually caused by a cold in the eye or some 
.foreign substance. The constant irritation causes the kitten 
to rub the eye violently; the lids begin to swell and the irrita- 
tion becomes worse. 

To avoid a very bad eye, blindness or a damaged eye, im- 
mediate steps should be taken. If you are unable to obtain the 
right lotion at once, keep the eye clean with warm milk and 
water, bathing three times a day with absorbent cotton, throw- 
ing away each piece as soon as it has been used; then grease 
the lids with lanolin, and put a little in the corners where 
they discharge, to prevent soreness. The cat's claws should 
be cut, especially the fifth one, as often the cat scratches its 
own eye in its violent attempt to rub and in cleaning it. 

The lotion I have found most beneficial for this trouble is 
a one per cent, solution of atropine ; use only one drop at night. 
Apply after the eye has been cleansed with milk and water 
and the lids greased. Always hold the cat for a minute or 
two after applying any lotion, as they will often tear at the 
eye directly after, thus causing more irritation. 

In all eye diseases the patient must be kept in a subdued 
light to effect a speedy cure, in fact, in cases when atropine is* 
used it is dangerous to expose the eyes to sun light or any 
bright light. Never allow cats or kittens with bad eyes to 
sit in front of open fires or near heaters. The air should be 
pure and not too warm. In summer they must be kept in a 
cool room and free from draughts. The atropine can be 
used one drop night and morning in bad cases, and one drop 
a day as the eye gets better. After applying for a week or 
ten days, discontinue, and only keep the eyes greased and 
cleaned. 

Ulcers on the eye should be treated at once. They are 
caused by a scratch, or a neglected cold in the eyes. In ap- 
pearance the eye has a milky white film over it ; sometimes 



94 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

the lids are so swollen that the eyeball is not visible, but 
should the eyes get as bad as this an ulcer is sure to follow. 
Use the same treatment given above, only a two per cent, 
solution of atropine instead of a one per cent., until the white 
film has nearly gone; then continue with the one per cent, 
solution until all traces of the film have disappeared. 

I have used atropine on cats many times and have always 
found it most effective, although many persons think it is very 
dangerous. But it only needs to be applied carefully to be 
efficacious. 

Atropine is also invaluable for a scratch on the eyeball 
caused by another cat or a sharp piece of wire, etc. Use one 
drop night and morning of a one per cent, solution. If a 
scratched eye is neglected an ulcer forms over the eye ; then a 
two per cent, solution will be necessary as before directed. 

Yellow oxide of mercury is generally used to remove 
ulcers, but as it usually leaves a white spot on the eye and 
causes irritation when being used it is not so satisfactory as 
the atropine. 

In cases of Keratitis, which is a milky film over the 
eyes, a 25 per cent, solution of Argyrol may be used, one or 
two drops in the eyes twice daily. Keratitis often appears 
when the animal is in a low state of health, and after dis- 
temper. 

In all cases of eye trouble it must be remembered that 
the eyes must be kept clean and the lids never allowed to 
stick together. 



CHAPTER XLII. 
PNEUMONIA, 

The first symptons of this disease are loss of appetite, and 
a pained look in the eyes ; the animal usually "squats" on its 
front legs and does not curl round when asleep ; the breathing 
becomes very rapid. 

When you hold your ear against the lungs (which are 
located just under the front legs) a harsh grating noise can 
be heard with each breath, sometimes this noise can be heard 
at some distance from the cat. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 95 

First place the patient in a small compartment or cage 
about two by three feet, keep in a good clear atmosphere at a 
temperature of 60° to 65°, allowing no draughts, place an old 
blanket on the floor ; the sanitary pan must be removed, as 
when the pain becomes severe they will always crawl to the 
coolest spot and will be found lying in the earth or sand pan ; 
any little accident like this causes another chill and means 
death to the cat, so only have the sanitary pan placed in the 
cage when someone is present. 

No time must be lost in treating this disease ; it is usually 
a case of kill or cure in twenty-four hours, therefore, immedi- 
ate steps must be taken and the patient watched continuously 
until eased, otherwise there is no hope of recovery; if the case 
is hopeless the cat should be chloroformed ; never allow them to 
suffer unnecessarily. Now to return to the treatment; clip 
all the hair off between the front legs, then make a bag about 
six by eight inches ; this should be of flannel if possible, sew- 
ing tapes across about two inches from the end, leaving the 
tapes long enough to tie around the neck and around the body 
just behind the front legs, thus hanging the bag between the 
front legs ; this bag should be filled with bran, not full enough 
to make it hard and heavy ; place this on an enamel or tin 
plate, covering another one over it ; if the oven is very hot leave 
the bag in the oven until quite hot through ; it will be necessary 
to make two bags so as to have one hot ready to put on as 
the other is taken off; the chest should not be left uncovered 
a minute. Before applying the hot bag laudanum may be 
sprinkled over it each time ; this eases the pain. I do not advise 
mustard, as any burning sensation is apt to frighten a cat so 
much as to cause more harm than good. 

The great point in curing pneumonia is to keep as much 
heat as possible on the lungs. It is of course much better to 
nurse the cat on your lap and keep it covered while these bran 
poultices are being applied, but if this is impossible keep the 
cat as I mentioned before, in a small place all covered with 
a warm blanket and look occassionally to see that it has not 
crawled out through the tapes on the bag so as to misplace 
the poultice. 

These bran bags should be changed about every two 
hours, and at least twice or three times during the night 
fresh laudanum should be sprinkled on the bag before every 
application. 



96 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

I once cured a bad case in a six months' kitten by this 
method in twelve hours, even though I was not able to be 
with the patient all the time. 

I found the kitten breathing in great distress and making 
so much noise as to be heard at the other end of the room, and 
in such pain she was not able to rest a minute, although she 
was apparently perfectly well the night before. 

I followed out the above treatment and after twelve hours 
the breathing was normal and the kitten wanted to eat and 
climb out of its pen ; this kitten grew into one of my best cats 
and one from which I have bred many winners. 

After the breathing becomes normal and the patient shows 
signs of being much better remove the poultice and in its 
place make a flannel jacket by taking a strip of flannel about 
eight inches wide and long enough to go around the cat's 
body, then cut two holes about the size of a fifty cent piece, 
cut little slits around these holes to leave room for the upper 
part of the leg, and yet to keep the flannel up close, these 
holes should be about in the middle of the strip and the right 
distance apart between the legs, according to the size of the 
cat ; now inside this flannel should be laid a good thick wad 
of absorbent cotton to replace the hair which has been cut 
off, sew this cotton to the flannel, then place the cat's tv/o 
front legs through the holes and sew the two ends of flannel 
at the back of the neck and back. Be sure it is not too tight 
and allow it to come well up on the chest. 

The next problem is to remove this jacket without giving 
the patient a chill ; to do this remove a little piece of the absor- 
bent cotton at a time until there is nothing left but the flannel, 
then continue removing this in the same way, not taking the 
last piece off until the weather is suitable. 

A rattling noise in the bronchial tubes and chest will 
sometimes be heard for months afterwards ; if there is any 
cough give a little vaseline on the mouth or tongue two or 
three times a day. 

Remember after pneumonia a cat cannot be allowed to 
"rough it" until it has quite grown out of any weakness. Dur- 
ing the illness great care should be given to the diet. Liquids 
only should be given during the first stages, the best then is 
raw beef juice, (bee invahd diet.) It may be necessary to 
give this with a spoon or syringe through the mouth. Nour- 
ishment should be given every two hours and nothing solid 




Champion Siam of Romeo. 




Champion Ron Roy II of Arrandale. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 



97 



until the breathing is normal, then give scraped raw beef 
moistened with lime-water, raw eggs beaten up with a little 
condensed milk and water ; also give quinine for a tonic, a one 
grain pill night and morning for a cat, or a half grain pill for 
a kitten ; give this tonic for two or three weeks, should it 
agree with the patient, but should it make the cat vomit, it 
should be discontinued ; give instead a good pinch of saccha- 
rated carbonate of iron twice a day, mixed with food ; if this 
should act as a laxative give less. 

A good raw meat diet should be continued for some 
months, as this disease leaves the patient in a very low state. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 
DISTEMPER IN CATS. 

Distemper, probably the worst ailment one has to con- 
tend with in all animals, may appear in several forms — the 
catarrhal, which chiefly affects the eyes, nose and air passages, 
the throat form affecting the membrane as in diptheretic affec- 
tions, with pneumonia following as a complication, and lastly, 
but most fatal, the gastro-enteric form. 

We will deal first with the catarrhal form ; this is perhaps 
the most tiresome, though not so fatal. It requires much 
treatment and in many cases of months' duration; that is to 
say, the patient is usually left with weak eyes or chronic 
catarrh, which only good feeding and care, with bright warm 
weather, can cure. The first stage of the disease is usually 
loss of appetite, accompanied by vomiting of white froth, this 
more often on the first day. The eyes become inflamed and 
watery, the nose discharges a thick mucous. To treat the 
eyes see chapter on eye diseases. 

Keep the nose bathed with a little warm water and grease 
with lanolin around the nostrils to prevent soreness. 

Vaseline smeared inside the mouth three or four times 
a day eases the breathing and takes the inflammation from the 
back of the throat. 

In cases where the breathing is very laboured, steam the 
air passages by placing the animal in a bag tied around the 



98 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

neck and holding the nose and mouth over a jug of hot water 
to which vinegar or a few drops of eucalyptus oil has been 
added; repeat this treatment several times a day. 

If sickness continues give carbonate of bismuth every 
two hours, as much as will lie on a ten cent piece at each 
dose; make into a paste with a few drops of water and smear 
on the tongue; give oftener if required. 

Quinine, given in one grain gelatine coated pills, night 
and morning, all through the disease, is very beneficial as a 
tonic and fever reducer, but should be discontinued if it causes 
sickness ; then one drop of tincture of aconite three times a 
day may be given. 

Give to drink, instead of water, Robinson's Patent Barley, 
made with water, not milk, and add a tea spoonful of lime- 
water to a saucerful ; make the barley thin enough to drink and 
give cold ; this is a means of giving soothing nourishment 
when all solid food is refused or disagrees ; in addition to 
this give raw beef juice and lime-water three or four times 
a day with a spoon or syringe. 

When the patient shows signs of recovery, feed scraped 
raw beef, only a little at a time, and continue the beef juice 
for several days. (See invalid diet.) 

In case the throat becomes very much swollen and in- 
flamed and the cat constantly swallows with a jerky motion 
of the head, the throat should be well painted inside with a 
2 per cent, solution of Resorcin three times a day with a 
throat brush. 

When the throat is only slightly inflamed the vaseline 
may be used also in conjunction with Resorcin in severe 
cases. Great care should be taken to prevent infection of well 
animals, as cats and kittens which have not already had this 
disease become quickly infected, the infection even being 
carried on the shoes, hands, and clothes of persons attending 
to distemper patients; if you have only one cat do not handle 
other people's cats, or you may spread the disease ; if this com- 
plaint breaks out in one part of your cattery, do all that is 
possible to keep it there ; let only one person attend to those 
which are ill, never going near the well cats, also be care- 
ful to keep all sanitary pans, saucers, etc., well away from the 
other cats. It is useless to isolate cats which have already 
been in the same room with infected animals, as they are sure 
to develop it later, even if ever so slightly, but those that are 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 



99 



really very ill should not be allowed to sleep with the slightly 
infected ones, as such complications as pneumonia, sore throat, 
etc., are contagious though not infectious. 

Great attention must be paid to the atmosphere in which 
a distemper patient is kept ; the air should be clear, and fresh 
air admitted through an open window in which a muslin 
screen has been fixed, or a few inches left open, and a screen 
placed around to prevent draughts ; and an even temperature 
of not less than sixty degrees or more than sixty-five should 
be kept. 

When the fever leaves the cat great care must be taken 
that the patient does not contract a chill, which usually causes 
a relapse or pneumonia. (For treament see chapter on pneu- 
monia.) Keep the cat in a warm bed and give warm bedding; 
cats which are very bad should be kept in a small division or 
pen, so they cannot crawl away into cold corners in the night 
or when the person in attendance is not present. 

The gastric form of distemper is the most deadly ; the 
first hours of sickening are very dangerous, as though highly 
infectious, the animal appears to be in perfect health, that is 
to say, unless the temperature be taken. 

The eyes are bright, but the animal is in a high fever, 
much more so than in ordinary distemper; in a few hours it 
commences to vomit; you can then decide whether to chloro- 
form or try to cure your cat, for should the froth which is 
vomited be a clear bright yellow colour there is no hope of 
the cat's recovery, and a dose of chloroform is the kindest end. 

No cure has been discovered for cats with this violent 
form of gastritis, and if allowed to die naturally the cat suc- 
cumbs in twelve to twenty-four hours. This form usually 
attacks cats of from six to twelve months of age and those 
of a light colour or whites, which are evidently more delicate 
in the stomach and, therefore, have it in the worst form. 

The peculiar thing about this disease is, that the cat either 
gets the violent form just mentioned and dies in a few hours, 
or contracts it so slightly that in most cases it needs no special 
treatment beyond continued doses of quinine to reduce the 
fever; in saying this I am speaking about cats which have 
been properly fed on meat and are strong and healthy to start 
with, I have known cases where a whole cattery has been 
wiped out by this disease, but that is only when the inmates 
have been fed on farinaceous foods with little or no meat all 



lOO EVERYBODY'S ^C AT BOOK 

their lives, and though they may look large and fat, they have 
no real strength to withstand disease of any kind. 

Gastritis is most dangerous when a cat is six months to 
a year old, but I have never lost a cat over one year or under 
five months of age. 

In the mild form white froth is vomited and the cat has 
excessive fever for several days ; this must be reduced by one 
grain doses of quinine three times a day; if this cannot be given 
try one drop of tincture of aconite, three times a day, until 
the fever is reduced ; care should then be taken that the cat 
does not get a chill; afterwards feed as directed before. 

Some cats get this form so slightly that it is only noticed 
because the other cats are ill, that is to say, they only miss 
one or two meals and then continue to eat as before. 

Some weeks after they have had this disease, abscesses 
are likely to appear, either underneath the stomach and other 
parts of the body, but more frequently on the glands of the 
throat, just under the chin ; so if any loss of appetite should 
be noticed, an examination should be made; these lumps often 
partly form and then absorb, therefore they should be gently 
rubbed daily, and if they form a head they should be bathed 
with warm water daily until they break, which will be found 
better than lancing, as if the latter is not done carefully blood 
poisoning is apt to follow. 

These abscesses discharge very freely after breaking, in 
which case they should be syringed out every day with dioxide 
of hydrogen or some other good disinfectant not too strong; 
wipe dry and cleanse outside with absorbent cotton, then 
sprinkle protonuclein powder well over and as far into the 
wound as possible. I have found nothing so beneficial as this 
powder for these abscesses, and the protonuclein tablets should 
be given internally, one three times a day. 

This powder is used extensively in medical practice, and 
is a preparation manufactured by Reed & Carnrick, of Jersey 
City, but can be obtained at most of the largest drug stores. 

After treating the wound for several days with the 
powder, being sure to syringe it first, you may discontinue this 
treatment and then wash off the surface of the wound with 
warm water and a disinfectant ; dry and then grease thoroughly 
with crude lanolin ; in a few days it will only be necessary 
to apply the grease. 

The great point is to keep the wound open on the surface 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK lOi 

so as to allow it to heal right from the bottom ; if the surface 
wound is allowed to heal the first few days the abscess will 
form again. 

If these abscesses break inwardly they are apt to cause 
death by blood poisoning, but in strong cats they are not 
dangerous. If a cat is fed large quantities of finely minced 
raw meat to build up its constitution, it would thus prevent 
many of the after-effects of distemper. 

Before these abscesses break the cat will not eat for sev- 
eral days, as the pain then is very great. The protonuclein 
tablets and raw beef juice should be given. When they break 
the cat should be kept separate, as they appear to be highly 
contagious. 

As the wound heals it should not be kept bandaged in 
any way, as this annoys the cat and causes it to scratch the 
part affected, and therefore does more harm. 

The causes of distemper are many ; some seasons it is 
worse than others ; colds, neglect, unsanitary conditions in a 
cattery will cause this disease, also sitting about out of doors 
in bad weather, overcrowding of the cattery, sending on long 
cold journeys or coming in contact with other cats so affected 
will also cause it. 

Distemper is similar to influenza in people, epizootic in 
horses and distemper in dogs ; but here I may mention for the 
benefit of those keeping dogs and cats that distemper and 
other diseases are not communicable from one to the other. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 
SKIN DISEASES. 

There are many forms of skin diseases, some of which 
are infectious, others not infectious. 

Among the latter is simple eczema, which is usually caused 
by feeding cereals with little or no meat, producing poverty of 
blood. Eczema often appears on cats in the spring and also in 
autumn after the hot weather. 

The symptons are constant licking and scratching until 
the skin becomes raw and the hair falls out in patches; thi^ 
can only be cured by dieting and giving medicine internally. 

Feed only minced raw beef mixed with as much phos- 



102 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

phate of soda as will lie on a ten cent piece, twice a day, until 
the irritation subsides. Give no cereals or milk, as these are 
heating to the blood, but continue the raw meat or other meat 
diet, giving the soda should the irritation recur at any 
future date. 

Whole catteries will be affected by this simple eczema, 
causing people to think it is contagious, but this is not the 
case, the outbreak being caused either through months of im- 
proper feeding or climatic conditions. 

Perhaps the most troublesome disease to get amongst your 
cats is Black Mange; this is a parasite under the skin. The 
disease appears in different-sized patches, and starts on the 
head, around the ears, and on the front paws. The first sign 
is a roughness of the skin in patches, which when combed 
comes off, hair and all, with a yellow crust, leaving the skin 
grey or nearly black. 

This complaint attacks kittens more frequently than 
adults, but more especially cats which have always been fed 
on cereals. I have known cases where cats had to be destroyed 
when this disease has appeared, simply because they are in 
a low state of health from poor feeding. This disease does 
not appear on a really healthy cat so seriously as to endanger 
its life, but it is a troublesome complaint to get rid of, as 
should there be one spot left on a cat it will increase again 
and attack any kittens that may arrive later. On the first 
appearance of this disease a close examination of all the in- 
mates of the cattery should take place, then great care should 
be taken when dressing the spots, that infection does not 
spread. First examine the cat's head, neck, and around the 
casing of the claws on the front feet. Should there be any 
roughness, the hair should be removed (it will come out quite 
easily), and dropped into a tin of hot water or kerosene, then 
the spot should be well dressed with equal parts of sulphurous 
acid and glycerine, being sure the acid is of full strength ; rub 
or dab well into the spot, with the end of a tooth brush, from 
which all the bristles, except those at the end, have been re- 
moved with a sharp knife ; use a little of the lotion at a time 
from an egg cup or other small receptacle. When the affec- 
tion is around the nose and eyes, it is very difficult to dress, 
and very unpleasant for the poor cat. Great care must be 
taken not to get the lotion into the eyes — it is not harmful, 
though very painful. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 103 

The cat should be examined all over the body; the rough 
places can be felt under the hair, and, on a well cared-for cat 
the spots are few and far between, although they may appear 
on any part of the head, body or tail. 

The lotion should be used twice a day to effect a speedy 
cure, and the spots must be dressed until they are quite smooth 
and the hair begins to grow; the skin will often remain dark- 
coloured for months or even years afterwards. 

This disease must be carefully treated, or it will remain 
in a cattery for a year or more; any cat which is about to 
kitten must be thoroughly cured, or the spots will appear on 
the young kittens when they are about ten days old ; then the 
same treatment must commence all over again, only that you 
may have five to treat instead of one. 

In addition to the outward treatment, great care should 
be taken as to feeding, which must consist entirely of meat, 
such as lean raw beef, lamb, raw chicken, rabbits, etc. No 
cereals or milk should be given. The sulphurous acid must 
be pure, and of full strength, the fumes should be overpow- 
ering or the acid will be of little use. 

Great precaution must be taken to see that Sulphurous 
acid is procured and not Sulphuric, as the latter will burn 
holes in the cat's flesh. 

Sulphurous acid may be applied, three parts acid to one 
of glycerine in obstinate cases, and may be used for any other 
skin trouble of similar appearance. 

Cats are not often subject to skin trouble, and I have 
never found it infectious to human beings. 



CHAPTER XLV. 
TREATMENT OF THE EARS. 

Too little attention is paid to the ears, one of the most 
delicate organs of the cat, and, unless they are kept thoroughly 
clean, disease, and in many cases death, may be the result. 

Properly speaking, the ears should be cleaned atTeast once 
a month. Kittens' ears should first be attended to when they 
commence to run about; it will often be noticed that they 
begin to scratch them, even at that early age. The inside of 
the ear should be carefully wiped out with a small piece of 



I04 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

absorbent cotton and a little pinch of dry boracic acid powder 
put in to dry up the soft wax, otherwise this collects the dust, 
and forms a hard black mass in which tiny parasites breed in 
millions; if neglected these cause inflammation of the ear 
drum and abscesses will form, sometimes affecting the brain 
and causing death. 

These minute parasites of the ear, are greyish in colour, 
and can be seen with the naked eye in strong light, or with a 
microscope. Should these "mites" exist in the ear or even 
the hard black wax, the best treatment is the following : 

First drop in the ear a few drops of almond oil, this 
should be slightly warmed ; work the ear about gently from 
the outside so that the oil penetrates into the wax ; then when 
it appears thoroughly softened, remove the wax with an ear 
cleaner or a hair pin, first winding a piece of absorbent cotton 
around, using the blunt end of the pin; always be very careful 
not to clean too deep down in the ear and treat always in a 
very gentle manner. If the patient becomes restless, place 
in a bag, tying with a string around the neck; this is far the 
most satisfactory method of treating a restive or frightened 
cat. After the ear has been thoroughly cleansed, use a good 
pinch of the following: One part iodoform and one part 
boracic acid powder and mix well. Apply by placing on a 
glossy card, such as a calling card, bend tliis up on either side 
to hold the powder, then tip it into the ear, which should be 
held firmly with the other hand, as the cat will try and shake as 
soon as the powder touches the ear. 

The powder should be worked well down into the ear and 
any superfluous powder outside the ear wiped off, as iodoform 
is poisonous. One treatment is usually sufficient to kill these 
parasites, but careful examination should take place later to 
see that they have been entirely exterminated. 

These pests not only cause gatherings inside the ear but 
cause abscesses which form right at the tip of the ear between 
the cartilage; if these do not break naturally and disperse, 
they should be lanced and the contents of the swelling (which 
is usually a blood clot) removed, then cleanse thoroughly with 
water and disinfectant. This should be done by a veterinary. 

While the wound is heaUng, it should be constantly 
massaged or gently pulled every day to prevent the ear tip 
from becoming contracted, which it so often does, thus dis- 
figuring the cat for life. 




o 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 105 

The latter form of abscess is not often seen, as it is only- 
through long neglect that it occurs. 

Cold in the ears also causes serious trouble, usually re- 
sulting in an abscess at the base ; these may also occur through 
weakness after an illness such as distemper. 

Little can be done to the patient until the abscess breaks. 
When it is noticed that the ear is discharging, the opening of 
the ear should be bathed, first with a little warm water and 
disinfectant, using always absorbent cotton ; then syringe out 
the inside with an ear syringe once or twice a day ; clean out 
and dry well as before mentioned, then use the iodoform and 
boracic powder mixture. Should the ear seem very sore and 
tender, do not use so much iodoform, only enough to colour 
the boracic acid. 

Protonuclein powder I have also found to be a great cure 
for these abscesses ; it is very much more pleasant to use than 
iodoform, the later having a most objectionable odour. 

Protonuclein powder can be dusted in freely, as it is 
non-poisonous. 

The iodoform must be used for the parasites, and if the 
cats should taste any of it, they are apt to salivate, but a 
very small quantity is not poisonous, though care should 
always be taken to remove all that is possible from the fur 
around the ears. 

In treating abscesses, they must by syringed and dressed 
every day after first discharging; later two or three times a 
week, until the discharge discontinues entirely. Sometimes if 
the cat is delicate this disease of the ear continues for weeks 
or even months, therefore the cat should be well fed and 
given a tonic. 

Much ear trouble could be avoided by proper attention, 
never allowing them to become wet and sticky with wax; just 
wiping out with absorbent cotton and a pinch of boracic acid, 
every little while, will often prevent any serious trouble. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 
WORMS. 



the 



Perhaps few fanciers have any idea how many troubles 
presence of worms cause; among them are, chronic 



Io6 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

catarrh, fits, chronic enteritis or dysentery, general unhealth- 
iness, poor coat and condition and sore eyes. If allowed to 
increase too much, death is the result. 

Should a cat afflicted with these pests contract any dis- 
ease, it is sure to succumb, for as soon as it discontinues to 
take nourishment, the worms cause death. 

Tape and wire worms are the most common among- cats. 

Tape-worm is caused through the presence of fleas, there- 
fore fleas should be exterminated first (see chapter on fleas) 
and a worm dose should follow. Areca nut, freshly powdered. 
is best, allowing one grain to every pound weight of the cat or 
kitten; give in the morning before any food, mixed with a 
little very sweet milk. It is best to mix the powder into a 
paste first, then add a little more milk. Some cats will drink 
this readily, if not it should be given with a spoon; do not feed 
until several hours afterwards 

Repeat this dose after three days, then again in two or 
three weeks' time. 

If many worms are expelled feed only Robinson's pre- 
pared barley for twelve hours afterwards. (See chapter on 
invalid diet.) 

If you think your cat or kitten has a serious attack of 
worms it is dangerous to give a vermifuge, as, should a num- 
ber of worms he expelled the removal of so many at one time 
causes inflammation of the intestines and the patient never 
recovers, succumbing after a few days ; therefore the follow- 
ing is a better treatment : 

Give two teaspoonfuls of lime-water in the morning be- 
fore breakfast, followed by a small teaspoonful of olive oil ; 
this is a good dose for a kitten ; continue the lime-water in all 
its food, also a pinch of salt in the morning meal for a week 
at least. 

If cats and kittens are fed on milk or starchy foods 
worms will exist in great numbers, these pests cannot exist 
if a meat diet is adhered to. 

Having fed your cats on milk and cereals, great care 
must be taken in introducing a meat diet; if a kitten which 
is greatly troubled with worms is suddenly fed entirely on 
meat it is apt to succumb to fits caused by the "rebellion" of 
masses of worms, as they cannot exist on meat and in this 
way cause the death of the kitten. When worms are present 
they must either be expelled or fed, and, as they live on milk 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 107 

and starchy foods this diet must be continued until the greater 
part of these pests have been expelled, then introduce a meat 
diet by degrees, using lime-water all the time ; then as soon 
as the kitten gets strong and healthy, feed entirely on meat — 
keep free from fleas and you will have no more trouble in 
raising kittens. Where a meat diet is strictly adhered to, and 
the cattery kept entirely free from fleas, you will find in a 
year or two no treatment for worms will be necessary. 

This sounds impossible, but I have proved it to my own 
satisfaction ; such a thing as a worm dose my cats and kittens 
never require. 

Wire-worms are more difficult to eradicate than tape, 
and they are also more dangerous to expel. Stronger medi- 
cine has to be given, and, when expelled in large quantities, 
they almost invariably cause death, but when left alone they 
cause fits which also kill ; threfore the method of slow ex- 
pulsion before mentioned is the best, followed in a few weeks 
by some good vermifuge. There is no doubt the cause of the 
old saying "that raw meat causes fits in cats" is due to milk- 
fed cats (which are always greatly troubled with worms) be- 
ing suddenly changed to a meat diet, which as I said before 
is apt to cause fits, as meat is not a food suitable to worms, 
and causes the death of the poor cat which has been fed on 
milk all its life. Cats which eat rats, mice and beetles are 
also afflicted with these pests, and should be dosed several 
times a year. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 
CARE OF THE TEETH. 

Great attention should be paid to cats' teeth when kept 
in confinement ; bones, raw or cooked, should be given both 
to cats and kittens several times a week, if not every day. 

The best bones for young kittens are raw ones, and 
should the kittens be quite young, all pieces of fat, small 
splinters of bone, etc., should be removed, leaving only the 
lean raw meat ; if a marrow bone, the marrow should be taken 
out before feeding. 

It is best not to give kittens bones until they are three 
months old, then the middle day meal can be discontinued. 



lo8 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

and bones given instead. If these are given regularly during 
the period of teething, v^hich is from four to eight months, 
there will be little trouble with cutting their teeth. 

If they do not gnaw these bones readily, you may be sure 
the kittens are being overfed, as nothing is more relished 
than a nice fresh bone. 

Remember a cat is essentially a carnivorous animal, and 
must be treated as such to be kept healthy. 

Bones are as indispensible for the cat as the dog, and 
without them the teeth soon get furred up and decay, giving 
the animal months of pain before they finally drop out. When 
troubled with bad teeth the cat will be noticed to refuse its 
food and dribble from the mouth. 

The teeth should be examined, and if there be one loose, 
it should be immediately removed ; they can usually be re- 
moved by placing a dry, soft cloth over the tooth before pull- 
ing; if quickly done the cat is too astonished to protest. If any 
are furred they should be cleaned and scraped. The same 
method of extraction should be applied to the first teeth of 
kittens ; at about five to eight months of age, it will be noticed 
that some of the second teeth have appeared before the first 
have fallen out. 

During teething kittens are popularly supposed to be sub- 
ject to fits, but as mine never have any, I am more inclined 
to think the cause of these fits is the presence of worms, 
which, when the kitten becomes somewhat out of condition 
while teething, cause fits. (For treatment see chapter on fits.) 

Lime-water should be given to all kittens from the very 
first, this in addition to bones will make them cut their teeth 
without difficulty. 

When very old cats begin to lose their teeth they should 
be extracted, and the cat must then either be fed on finely 
minced meat or destroyed, as they cannot possibly eat large 
pieces of meat, and milk food is starvation to old animals. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

COLDS. 

Colds are easily contracted from sudden changes of the 
weather, but if cats are strong and well fed an ordinary cold 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 109 

passes off without any serious developments, though in cases 
of weakly cats or kittens a cold is apt to turn to distemper, 
bronchitis or pneumonia, infecting other cats in the cattery. It 
is therefore wiser to be cautious and isolate any cat or kitten 
which starts to sneeze and water at the eyes, for in any case 
the ordinary head cold is just as catching as the more serious 
forms. 

With kittens which are troubled with worms a head cold 
is a very troublesome ailment, as in their reduced state of 
health the cold often becomes chronic and never really clears 
up until the kittens are nearly full grown. 

For head colds keep the patient in an even temperature, 
feed well on invalid diet, and keep the nose washed off with 
warm disinfectant and water, greasing with crude lanolin ; 
after each washing keep the nostrils as clear as possible, also 
treat the eyes in the same manner, should they become affected. 

The ordinary cold is usually only of a few days' duration, 
and the appetite quickly returns ; one grain of quinine in pills 
given night and morning for a cat and half this dose for a 
kitten is a good tonic, and should be given for a week or two ; 
quinine should not be used for cats "in kitten." If there is 
quick breathing and a rattling in the bronchial tube you may 
be sure the cat has developed bronchitis, in that case treat the 
same as for pneumonia. Should the cat cough and swallow 
a great deal, you will know it has a sore throat ; this can gen- 
erally be seen by opening the mouth, when the back of the 
throat will appear very red and inflamed. Smear a little vase- 
line two or three times a day on the tongue, or as often as the 
cat has a bad coughing spell. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 
PARALYSIS. 

Cats very seldom suffer from paralysis, when they do it 
usually attacks the hind quarters, leaving them practically use- 
less. This is sometimes seen in kittens after worm fits, also 
in cats which have nursed too many kittens, or having stayed 
with them too long without exercise. 

In both these cases the constitution should be well built 



no EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

up. In the case of a nursing cat she must be removed from 
her kittens at once, if not entirely at least several hours a day, 
letting her exercise but not jump. She will probably walk lame 
on all her joints, and become rapidly worse if immediate steps 
are not taken to relieve her of her maternal duties. 

When paralysis occurs through old age the cat had bet- 
ter be destroyed, although warmth may be tried, and good 
feeding on raw meat. 

Never allow cats to lie in damp places, this will produce 
stiffness of the joints. Gentle rubbing of the limbs and back 
several times a day will be beneficial. 

Paralysis may also be caused by an injury to the spine by 
a fall, or by being shut in a door. 

Place a piece of flannel on the cat's spine and iron lightly 
with a hot iron, not hot enough to burn the flannel ; this is 
good in all cases. 

Opening medicines should be given whenever necessary. 

Rickets in young kittens is often mistaken for paralysis, 
especially when they become lame in all their joints; treatment 
for this will be found in chapter on rickets. 



CHAPTER L. 
RICKETS, OR SOFTENING OF THE BONES. 

Few fanciers imagine that such a thing as rickets exists 
among kittens, just the same as with growing children, result- 
ing in deformed spines and crooked legs ; this is caused by 
improper feeding on foods which are not bone forming. 

The first symptoms are lameness when jumping, and in 
bad cases the kittens become unable to walk at all, and cry 
when the spine is touched near the tail. 

If steps are not taken immediately to effect a cure, the 
cat has to be destroyed or the spine becomes shortened and a 
lump forms near the tail on the back, the legs become bowed 
and enlarged at the joints. Excessive milk and cereal feeding 
cause rickets, as the animal becomes too fat and the legs are 
not strong enough to carry the weight. Very lean meat, quite 
free from fat and gristle, with no other diet, will also result 
in rickets, also kittens bred from old cats are very subject to 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK m 

this disease, and need more than an ordinary diet. To effect 
a speedy cure, give a raw meat diet of finely minced beef, 
preferably shin, on account of the gristle; add lime-water, one 
or two teaspoonfuls at each meal. Cod-liver oil can also be 
given; this is far better if procured in the dry powder form, 
as it is almost tasteless. It can be obtained from the Risiccol 
Co., ii8 William Street, New York. Use for a dose a good 
pinch on each meal ; the liquid cod-liver oil or Scott's Emul- 
sion may also be used. 

A new laid egg, beaten up and divided between several 
kittens is also beneficial. Keep the kittens where they cannot 
jump, and give them a box with a nice bed in one corner of the 
room. When all signs of lameness have disappeared, the Ume- 
water should still be continued until the kitten is full grown. 
Cod-liver oil should not be used if it gives diarrhoea or sick- 
ness. 

Under this treatment I have seen kittens which could not 
stand improve in a week. 

I have noticed many beautiful cats ruined in size and 
shape by rickets when they were kittens, and strange to say the 
owners have been quite ignorant of the cause, many thinking 
their cat had been injured when young. Kittens and young 
cats often appear to have injured themselves by jumping from 
high shelves or tables ; but in most cases this trouble arises 
from a softening of the bone, which frequently causes lame- 
ness after jumping, or even injury to the spine. 



CHAPTER LI. 
FITS. 

Many cats are subject to fits, but they do not usually 
occur in healthy, well cared-for cats. I have not in years had 
a cat or a kitten have a fit in my cattery, no matter how much 
frightened they have become. 

There are several kinds of fits which cats are subject to, 
the most common being those caused by worms; they may 
also arise from weak brain and heart trouble. 

The remedy in the first case is dosing for worms, after- 
wards feeding the patient properly, which will alter the low 



112 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

state of health and condition. There is no cure for the heart 
and brain trouble except to improve the strength of your stock 
by taking in a strong out-cross and selecting the strongest 
specimens for breeding. Such troubles as weak brain and 
heart are caused usually by injudicious inbreeding with deli- 
cate stock; animals so afflicted should rightly speaking not be 
bred from at all, as both complaints are hereditary, and after 
raising cats from such parents, they are liable to die in a fit 
from the first shock they receive ; this often happens when they 
are sent on a journey. 

Treatment. — At the first signs of a fit place the cat in a 
large, airy basket, in a cool, dark place, to prevent its running 
about and injuring itself; the moment it is quiet, remove from 
the basket and give plenty of air for recovery. If the cat has 
heart trouble it often succumbs to the first attack. If the 
patient shows any signs of continued excitability give a grain 
of bromide of potassium every hour, decreasing the doses as 
the cat becomes quieter. 

If the cat should be a long time recovering and the top 
of the head feels excessively hot, place a piece of ice in flan- 
nel, or a rubber bag is better to prevent wetting the fur, on the 
head, until the cat recovers. Half an hour, or less, will 
usually drive the blood from the brain and the cat recovers. 

When young kittens have fits it is usually caused by 
worms. Give one grain of bromide every two hours in a 
teaspoonful of sweetened milk, then when the kitten is seem- 
ingly well again, dose for worms. (See chapter on worms.) 

Use the bromide of potassium every hour, decreasing the 
doses as the cat becomes quieter, perhaps after several doses. 

Any cat or kitten afflicted with fits should not be allowed 
to become over-excited at play or allowed to run in the hot sun. 
If ice is not obtainable, use a cold water compress to the head. 



CHAPTER LII. 

INTESTINAL DISORDERS. 

Intestinal troubles which cause diarrhoea usually arise 
from improper feeding, such as milk and cereal diet, decom- 
posed or even slightly tainted food. It may also be due to an 




Strongheart. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK II3 

internal cold The latter is the most serious, and is relieved bv 
applying hot bran bags, but this need only be resorted to when 
to ann V U?h """^ '"'"/' ^^ ^'"^^ P^"^' instructions how 
onI??n tl^i ?t'"l"' ^^'^ ^^^^P^"' ^^^'"^^^ ^ith pneumonia, 

front nf 11 'S-^*^' bags must be placed underneath just in 
front of he hind legs. For ordinary diarrhoea and chronic 

n3 V;,^ '^'^^'' ^7^ °"^>^ Robinson's Patent Barley pr- 
pared with sweetened condensed milk. Add a tablespoonful 
onime-water to the half pint, feed very little at a time, but 

n\ ^I^°"l^ u"""^- P^'' through the cat undigested, only medi- 
cine should be given for twenty-four hoursr then starT a^ain 
giving a very little of the barley, made weak at first mbcinl in 
a good pinch of carbonate and bismuth or sub-galk e of L " 
muth. the latter preferred. S'i^die 01 dis 

of olive^ofl fn'^ vT' °^ ^^''' ^''^^'^ °"^ «'" t^o teaspoonfuls 
Jaaa u "^^'^^ °"^ °^ *^° ^^OPS of laudanum have been 

?or.t ""'^w' ^'^'"- , '^^^^^ ^^ ^^"^fi^i^l i" clearing away any 
foreign substance, and the laudanum relieves the pfin ^ 

.f w ^^^°"^Pa";ed with sickness, sub-nitrate and carbonate 
of bismuth may be given alternately 

h.,, ^A^^^ bismuths may be given frequently, even in half- 
hour doses in severe cases, as they serve to coat the stomach 
and intestines, so reducing the inflammation mechanicalir 

eip-hth nf /^^'^"^ 'V" ^'".^^^P^'" ^"d very restless, one- 
eighth of a gram of cocaine hydrochloride may be Viven 
every four hours for the first day; do not continue unless die 
animal seems in great pain. This is the dose for a ca Youn^ 
kittens fed on milk foods are very subject to diarrharo? 
should tainted meat be fed, the same thing will occur Trea 
one dron n"JT"T'^' ^"' '^''l ^^" "°^ "^^d%he cocaine," though 

Xetl^tttT "'' ''''' '^ ' ^"^" ^^^^P°°"^"^ '^ 
Kittens usually become ravenously hungry with this trou- 
ble, then the point is to satisfy them withoSt mlkin.. the dis 
ease worse, as the greatest cure for this is to give ?ery lit le 

L'gfeTrdrTnk ''" '?^ ' "^^^^ ^^^^^^ without milk 2uld 
be given to drink, or water; on no account give cow's milk 
whether boiled or not. If there is no improvement on he 
barley and condensed milk regime, try raw beef i nice r how 

t^'XV^'Cr^ ,'^ '°""^ in chapterLn invahd d't) n ixed 
into the cooked barley or given alone. 



114 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 



When the patient seems better a teaspoonful of scraped 
beef moistened with Hme-water may be given three times a 
day in addition to a httle barley or raw beef juice. Cooked 
beef tea, lamb broth, or any cooked meat is the worst possible 
diet at all times and is fatal in this case. 

All cats and kittens affected with enteritis should be sep- 
arated from the healthy ones, as in most cases the disease is 
contagious. During this illness great care should be taken to 
keep the patients in perfectly clean surroundings. Have the 
bedding changed whenever soiled, and should the cat's coat 
also be soiled, the hair should be combed or cut and then 
cleaned with dry corn-starch. Never wash if it is possible to 
do without, but if compulsory wash the soiled parts with 
warm water, adding half alcohol; dry well with a rough bath 
towel, then dust with dry corn-starch. The sanitary pan should 
be changed whenever used. Bismuth is best shaken dry on 
the tongue, but as it usually upsets the patient, it may be 
mixed into a paste with a knife on the palm of the hand, then 
placed on the second finger of the right hand and smeared on 
the cat's tongue, keeping the head up for a second, so that it 
adheres to the mouth and the cat is obliged to swallow it. Bis- 
muth can also be given with the food, and used every day un- 
til thoroughly cured. The patient should be kept warm if it 
is winter time and out of draughts, but should it be hot sum- 
mer weather keep the cat or kitten indoors, in the shade and 
cool, but not where it is damp. 



CHAPTER LHI. 
INJURIES. 

Any injury to a cat should be treated at once by a good 
veterinary, but should you be located far from a doctor, the 
information given below may be of some assistance. 

For home surgery a bottle of cocaine should be kept 
handy for use in case of a bad laceration caused by fighting or 
by a bite from a dog or another cat, or from a wound caused 
by a nail or ragged wire fence. 

First bathe the wound with a good disinfectant, such as 
peroxide, then paint with cocaine the torn edges of the wound. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 115 

This has such a deadening effect that the edges of the wound 
can be easily sewn together. A properly shaped surgical 
needle is of course the best, and surgical silk to sew with. 

Insert the needle, within an eighth of an inch of both 
edges of the wound, then tie tight together, each stitch about 
a distance of one inch apart ; the number, of course, depending 
on the size of the tear or cut. I have seen this done without 
the cat even flinching, but without the previous use of cocaine 
it would be useless to try. 

The stitches usually stay in a week, at the end of which 
time the cat manages to dislodge them by constant licking. If 
any inflammation or swelling should be noticed, bathe with 
disinfectant and grease with crude lanolin ; this is very heal- 
ing and stops the irritation when healing. 

Only deep, long wounds need be sewn up, any surface 
wound only needs to be kept clean and lanolin applied daily 
to heal and grow the hair. 

In case of a broken bone a veterinary surgeon should be 
called in at once, if impossible an amateur mend may be at- 
tempted, though it is a difficult operation to get the limb into 
its original position. This must be done by pulling into posi- 
tion ; then hold the limb straight, use thin splints, then bind 
with a soft cotton bandage. The splints should project beyond 
the end of the foot, to prevent the cat putting it on the ground. 
The wood for making the splints can be cut from a very thin, 
light box, or from a peach basket. 

Great care should be taken not to bind the limb too tightly 
or the circulation of the blood will be stopped and the limb 
will drop off; therefore in such cases a veterinary is almost 
indispensable. 



CHAPTER LIV. 

DISINFECTING. 

The use of all strong smelling disinfectants should be 
avoided, both at shows and in the cattery. 

All odours in a cattery can be avoided by strict cleanliness, 
having the sanitary pans washed and refilled once a day. 

For cleansing purposes nothing equals permanganate of 



Il6 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

potash crystals ; for ordinary purposes use enough to colour the 
water a light purple. This potash is used extensively in Eng- 
land at most of the largest hospitals ; it is considered a cer- 
tain germ-killer, and is practically odourless ; it can be pur- 
chased in half and one pound bottles. The only objection to it 
is its staining properties, therefore it must not be used for rins- 
ing blankets, etc., for disinfection. For disinfecting cages, 
rooms, etc., after distemper, make a very strong solution, using 
two teaspoonfuls of the crystals to a small pail of water. As 
this will stain the hands, all woodwork, wire netting, etc., can 
be wetted with a brush and short mop. After all the fixtures 
have been well wetted, then see that the floor is mopped all 
over with this strong solution ; leave for ten minutes or so, then 
have it all dried with a mop and clean water, without disin- 
fectant ; the floors of a cattery should be done every week in 
this manner, using the weaker solution only when ordinary 
cleansing is necessary. 

No soap or soda need be used, as the crystals cleanse as 
well as disinfect, and a cattery is safe from infection if every- 
thing in it is thoroughly saturated. This disinfectant has been 
used satisfactorily at cat shows in place of strong smelling 
disinfectants generally used, which affect the eyes and nose of 
both visitors and cats to such an extent that a temporary affec- 
tion of the mucous membrane results. Carbolic in any form 
is deadly poison to cats, therefore it should never be used in 
any of its various preparations. For bathing wounds a more 
refined disinfectant should be used, such as dioxide of hydro- 
gen, etc. ; one which does not stain the hair, is preferable for 
dark cats, as both peroxide and dioxide will turn a black or 
blue cat red. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK n; 



CLUB NOTICES 



NORTH STAR CAT CLUB, 

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. 



President, Mrs. S. B. Blossom, 3145 Clinton Avenue. 

Secretary, Mrs. Agnes C. Davis, 307 Third Avenue, S. E. 

Treasurer, Mrs. H. C. Pickett, 622 E. 17th Street. 

Show Manager, Mrs. S. B. Blossom. 

Show Secretary, Mrs. L. N. Moran, 728 Logan Avenue, N. 



The largest cat club in the West. 

Shows will be held under A. C. A. rules. 

For further information address the Secretary. 

THE ATLANTIC CAT CLUB. 

President, Mrs. F. E. J. Champion, 
West New Brighton, S. I., N. Y. 



This Club has the finest collection of Challenge Cups 
and Trophies, and is the only Club which gives medals to 
commemorate each cup won. 

Join to compete for these valuable prizes. 

Show held annually in New York. Dues $3.00 a year. 

For information address the Secretary, Miss R. Ward, 
East Twenty-ninth Street, near Avenue J, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



ii8 EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 

AMERICAN CAT ASSOCIATION. 

Certified by the United States Department of Agriculture. 



Composed of the following clubs and societies : Beresford 
and Boston Clubs, Blue Cat Society, Cleveland, Columbus, 
Colorado, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Lockehaven, Michigan, 
North Star, Pacific, Pittsburg, Royal Canadian, St. Louis, 
Syracuse, Short-Haired Cat Society, Twin City Cat Club, 
Silver Society, Seattle Cat Club, Tortoiseshell Society, and 
Washington Cat Club. 

Stud Books— Vol. I, $i.oo; Vol. II, $1.25; Vol. Ill, $1.25. 

Mrs. Elbert E. Besse, Sec.-Treas., 5534 Union Ave., 

Chicago, 111. 

Fred L. Kimmey, Pres., Morgan Park, Illinois. 

Mrs. Clinton Locke, Vice-Pres., Chicago, 111. 



BERESFORD CAT CLUB OF AMERICA. 

Incorporated. 



Founded February, 1899. 
The oldest Cat Club in America. 
Meetings, the l.ist Friday of the month. Annual dues, resi- 
dent memb- ''s, $2.00; non-resident members, $1.00. 

OFFICERS: 

Mrs. Clinton Locke, President, 

2825 Indiana Avenue, Chicago. 

Mrs. R. M. Peare, Corresponding Secretary, 
2249 Campbell Park, Chicago. 

Mrs. a. Melville Smail, Recording Secretary, 
5839 Peoria Street, Chicago. 



EVERYBODY'S CAT BOOK 119 

CAT FANCIERS ASSOCIATION. 

Certified by the United States Department of Agriculture. 



Including the Connecticut, Chicago, Cat Fanciers' Asso- 
ciation, Rochester Cat Club, Atlantic Cat Club, Toronto Nat- 
ional Exposition, Danbury Agricultural Society, Connecticut 
State Fair, Silver Society, Short-Haired Cat Society, New 
York Poultry and Pet Stock Association. 

Mrs. W. S. Hofstra, President, New York, N. Y. 

Mrs. Alfred Jackson, Vice-President, Rochester, N. Y. 

R. Oltolengui, Secretary-Treasurer, 80 West 40th Street, 

New York. 

Applications for registration and stud books should be 
made to 

Miss Ethel R. B. Champion, Recorder, 
Manor Road, West New Brighton, S. I., N. Y. 



BIDE-A-WEE HOME ASSOCIATION. 

Incorporated. 

36 Lexington Avenue, New York. Country Home, Harring- 
ton Park, New Jersey. 



Supported by voluntary contributions. A rl-.-^-J^^-^v.ip in- 
stitution which cares for friendless cats and do 
in good, permanent homes. In one year six 
were received, two-thirds of these being pi? 
Funds are urgently needed to continue th" 

Life membership, $100; active mc 
num; associate membership, $1 per anr 



Booklet sent on applic 
The Secretary, 36 Lexington Ave 



